Caprara

JACKSON TWP — For Greg Caprara, the destination would be nothing if not for the journey.

The Seneca Valley athletic director was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame East Boros Chapter last month at Edgewood Country Club.

The honor is in recognition of his accomplishments during and since his days at Turtle Creek High.

“Growing up, I looked up to so many of the people who are in that Hall of Fame,” said Caprara. “To be alongside people you consider to be heroes, it was overwhelming.

“I focused my speech on the opportunities people afforded me. It was basically one gigantic thank you,” he added.

Caprara starred on both the offensive and defensive lines for Turtle Creek’s football team before graduating in 1982.

He then attended Indiana (Pa.) University on a football scholarship.

“The summer before my freshman season, I broke a bone in my back during a scrimmage,” said Caprara. “I had surgery and went to football camp the next season, but the pain was just horrible.

“It was my first real taste of an insurmountable obstacle,” he added. “I had a decision to make and I wanted to make the most of the situation.”

Caprara joined the school’s track and field team and qualified for the PSAC Championships in the discus in 1987. He also held the school’s hammer throw record for three years.

After graduating from IUP in 1987 with a degree in exercise science, Caprara went to graduate school at Florida State University, serving as an assistant strength coach for the football team.

For three seasons (1987-89), Caprara saw legendary FSU head coach Bobby Bowden in action.

“For a young kid like myself to be around Bobby Bowden, it was a great experience,” he said. “He was intense, but you could still be comfortable around him”

Next up for Caprara was a five-year stint as an assistant strength coach at Syracuse University, where he worded with athletes from many sports.

“Our track and field and lacrosse teams were really good during that time,” said Caprara. “I got to work with so many great players, including (basketball stars) Derrick Coleman and Billy Owens. Those experiences were just phenomenal.”

Caprara also was privy to unique conversations with coaching legends.

“(Syracuse men’s basketball coach) Jim Boeheim once told me that there were 21 players in the NBA at the time who were over 7 feet tall. He said he’d give me $1,000 if I could name eight of them.

“I could only get five or six and he starts laughing “He said, ‘Do you get my point?’ and I said no.

“He said tall players are a dime a dozen, but there are so many other things that go into being a great player, like footwork and preparation,” Caprara added.

Caprara also was employed at Colgate and West Virginia University before turning his attention to high school athletes when he became an assistant athletic director at Fox Chapel in 2002.

He has been at Seneca Valley since 2004.

“I’m motivated to help kids just like people helped me,” said Caprara. “When I was a kid, people took the time to give me opportunities and I want to give back.”