Kasperowicz ready for new challenge
ADAMS TWP — The accomplishments on Eric Kasperowicz’s coaching resume are impeccable — four WPIAL titles, two state championships and an .825 winning percentage in eight seasons of leading Pine-Richland’s football team.
But with his hiring in April to take over as head coach at Mars came a fresh opportunity.
“We take a lot of pride in what we accomplished,” said Kasperowicz, who brought with him to Mars most of his assistant coaching staff from his days with the Rams. “We did what we did, but this is a new school, a new challenge and nobody cares about what you did in the past.”
He last coached at Pine-Richland in 2020 and spent last season as a volunteer assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. While he said he would have interest in returning to the college game down the road, he appreciates the opportunity to be involved again at the scholastic level.
“With high school players, you’re working with kids who are 14- to 18-years old,” he said. “You can have an impact on them, can affect how they deal with adversity and how they treat people.”
Kasperowicz is a 1994 graduate of North Hills High School, where he is currently a teacher in the district’s gifted program. He was a Parade All-American quarterback for the Indians.
He went on to play at Pitt as a defensive back and outside linebacker for four years.
“I dreamed of playing in the NFL, but I wasn’t blessed with the most talent and then I tore my ACL during my senior year,” Kasperowicz said. “I knew my playing days were coming to an end and I wanted to remain involved in the game.”
He returned to North Hills where he was an assistant coach under the legendary Jack McCurry for 11 seasons, including the last five as offensive coordinator.
Kasperowicz holds an annual youth football camp for ages 5-14.
The last time Mars welcomed a new football coach was 30 years ago when Scott Heinauer took over the Planets. Kasperowicz may be new to the program, but building a winning culture and learning life lessons in the process transcend school colors and county lines.
“Football is just a small part of that,” he said, “but there are so many things someone can learn from this wonderful game.”
