Evans wins Ferrante Award

By PAUL SCHOFIELD

Trib Total Media

Tom Evans retired as a teacher and athletic director from the Yough School District in 2020.

But he really hasn’t stepped away completely from the high school sports scene.

Evans has been an event coordinator at Hempfield and remains on the WPIAL board of directors, most recently as the junior high representative.

Evans also has been a PIAA official for more than 38 years and has served on various committees with the WPIAL.

At Tuesday’s 68th annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete banquet at Ferrante’s Lakeview, Evans will receive the Michael and John Ferrante Memorial Award for his work promoting the sport and student-athletes.

“It’s an honor to be selected,” Evans said. “There are a lot of great people that have received this award, and to be mentioned with them is a privilege.

“I was just trying to do my best to help promote high school athletes and teams. I’d like to thank Yough, Hempfield and the WPIAL for providing me that opportunity.”

Evans called the late Paul Zolak his mentor. Zolak, who recently passed away, was an athletic director at Belle Vernon, Ringgold and Bethel Park.

Evans was the 2016 WPIAL Athletic Director of the Year and was given the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Sport of Merit at the State Athletic Directors Conference in 2019.

“I didn’t consider being an athletic director as a job,” Evans said. “I felt it was a privilege.”

Evans has been a golf steering committee member, financial tournament manager of the wrestling committee, liaison for the football and soccer championships at Acrisure Stadium and Highmark Stadium, a member of the WPIAL Hall of Fame committee and member of the WPIAL board of directors.

He is a past president of the WPIAL Athletic Directors Association.

Evans also taught middle school civics for 36 years.

“I’m leaving with great memories at Yough,” Evans said. “I had two great secretaries in Ellen Kearns and Francine Huss, and I worked with a lot of great coaches at the school.”

Some of those memories included the softball team winning a WPIAL title in 2011 and PIAA championship in 2016 and the basketball team making the WPIAL championship game in 2005.

Evans, a Donora native, graduated from Ringgold High School and Cal (Pa.).

KDKA sportscaster Josh Taylor will be the guest speaker at Monday’s banquet, which also will recognize the Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award nominees.

The sponsors are Excela Health, Drs. Geoff and Greg Bisignani and Ferrante’s Lakeview.