Ronald D. Steiner, 55, of Louisville, Ky., formerly of the Gibsonia area, died Thursday morning at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, from complications following heart transplant surgery.

Born May 25, 1952, in Pittsburgh, he was the son of Betty Gilleland Steiner of Clearwater, Fla., and the late Ralph R. Steiner.

He was a 1970 graduate of the Pine-Richland High School, where he was elected class president three consecutive years. He also was sports editor of the yearbook and wrote two books commemorating the Ram's football championships in 1969 and 1970. He was a true friend and patriot to media, sportswriters and broadcast personalities across the country.

He was a sports journalist and founded the Louisville Sports Report, where he served as editor and publisher for 10 years. He also coanchored the Red and Blue Review, a weekly television broadcast, that pitted Louisville and Kentucky advocates in rival sports banter. He appeared frequently as an on-air sports authority and for regional radio talk shows and news reports.

Mr. Steiner was a member of Southeast Christian Church.

He was an adjunct professor in Miami, a newspaper columnist and a sports research analyst, a sports historian, biographer and entrepreneur. He received numerous national awards for his writings and publications.

He was executive assistant to Coach Howard Schnellenberger at Louisville and Oklahoma universities, served as sports information director at the University of Miami and was assistant S.I.D. at the University of Pittsburgh during the Tony Dorsett era. He was the assistant commissioner of the Eastern Eight Basketball Conference, now the Atlantic Ten, under Dr. Leland Byrd. He has worked with notable football coaches, including Bobby Bowden, Johnny Majors, Frank Cignetti, Howard Schnellenberger and Gene Sullivan.

In addition to his mother, he is the brother of Jim Steiner (Carole) of Altoona; the uncle of Scott Steiner and Shelly Beaver (Eric) and the great-uncle of Emily and Jacob.

<B>STEINER </B>— Friends of Ronald D. Steiner, who died Thursday, Oct. 4, 2007, will be received from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday at the <B>McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home</B>, 238 Crowe Ave. Mars. Funeral services will follow at 1 p.m. Friday at the funeral home with the Rev. Gary Weston, pastor of the Valencia Presbyterian Church, officiating. Burial will be in West Union Cemetery, Pine Township.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ronald D. Steiner Journalism Scholarship Foundation, c/o Jim Steiner, 518 South Terrace Drive Altoona, PA 16602, for the benefit of aspiring journalism students at the Pine-Richland High School.Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.