THE HISTORY OF COALDALE & FOOTBALL
Previous Quick Quiz Questions and Answers
9/21/202612 min read
Quick Quiz Question #1
1. For which NFL teams did Coaldale Tiger John "Gid" Gildea play?
a) 1935 Pittsburgh Pirates
b) 1938 New York Giants
c) 1938 Cleveland Rams
d) All of the above
The correct answer is d) All of the above. By the way, the NFL's Pittsburgh Pirates later became the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cleveland Rams later became the Los Angeles Rams, the St. Louis Rams, and the Los Angeles Rams again. The New York Giants, for whom "Gid" played, are still the New York Giants.
2. Name this Coaldale Big Green player whose family created, in 1928, a company that specializes, until this day, in vegetation management, engineering, and utility infrastructure, and is a leading user and innovator in cherry-picker truck technology.
a) Les Asplundh
b) Vince Gildea
c) Simon Lewchick
d) Metro Roadside
Quick Quiz Question #2
The correct answer is a) Les Asplundh. Alongside his brothers Griffith and Carl, Les helped establish the Asplundh Tree Expert Company, a name that has become synonymous with professional tree-trimming services in the Philadelphia region. You may have seen their trademark orange equipment somewhere over the years.
Quick Quiz Question #3
3.Mike Makovec, whose paternal grandparents lived in Coaldale and whose Dad was raised in Coaldale, played QB for the Army Black Knights at West Point and led the Marian Catholic Colts to the State 1A Football Championship in the 1990 season. Which team did Marian beat in the championship game?
a) Nativity
b) Farrell
c) Shenandoah
The correct answer is: b) Farrell
Quick Quiz Question #4
Tim Mongi, “Sparky” Williams, and John “Sonny”Yankovich were the first three team captains when the Coaldale, Lansford, Nesquehoning, and Summit Hill high school football teams joined together to form the Panther Valley Panthers in 1964.
Match the team captains with their home towns:
A. Tim Mongi
B. "Sparky" Williams
C. John "Sonny" Yankovich
The correct answers are: Mongi (Lansford), Williams (Lansford), Yankovich (Coaldale).
Quick Quiz Question #5
Described as "one of the roughest, toughest and greatest athletes in the coal regions" in the 1920s/1930s, Seek's Bill "Honeyboy" Evans starred as a back and end for the Coaldale Big Green, and he was also a great boxer in that era. Looking at his photo, at what weight do you think he boxed?
a) 145
b) 175
c) 215
The correct answer is a) 145
Quick Quiz Question #6
6. During what years did Jack Malarkey serve as head football coach for the Marian Catholic Colts?
a) 1965-1969
b) 1975-1979
c) 1985-1989
The correct answer is: a) 1965-1969
Quick Quiz Question #7
Rich Davidyock, the first head football coach for the Panther Valley Panthers, earned Little All-American honors as a fullback during his college days at what college?
a) Bloomsburg
b) Gettysburg
c) Kutztown
The correct answer is b) Gettysburg.
Quick Quiz Question #8
8. On which Coaldale street did George Welsh (Virginia head football coach, Navy head football coach & quarterback, and Coaldale Tigers quarterback) live when he attended Coaldale High School?
The correct answer is he lived on Sixth Street, just a few houses down the street from the current Coaldale Historical Society Museum (which was formerly the Coaldale Victory Band Hall).
Quick Quiz Question #9
The Summit Hill Tigers were a professional football team in the late 1920s. What was their relationship with the Coaldale Big Green?
a) Opponents of the Big Green
b) A Junior team that developed players for the Big Green
c) Both a & b
The correct answer is c.
Quick Quiz Question #10
10. At what high school did the legendary Marian High Colts Coach Stan Dakosty play football under the legendary Coaldale High Tigers Coach Geno Poli?
a) Ashland High School
b) Coaldale High School
c) Shenandoah High School
The correct answer is c) Shenandoah High School
Quick Quiz Question #11
11. George Matrician was the first band director at Panther Valley High School beginning in 1964 and the last band director at Coaldale High School. Previously, he served with the US Army in the Pacific Theater during World War II and later headed the Army’s Drum & Bugle School at Camp Croft, South Carolina.
Which of the following songs did he compose?
a) Panther Valley High School Alma Mater
b) Coaldale High School Alma Mater
c) The pep song titled "The Coaldale Shuffle"
d) All of the above
The correct answer is d) All of the above.
Quick Quiz Question #12
12. Coaldale Tiger (Class of 1953) Bob Stoffey served a quarter of a century as a Marine Corps aviator, having served in multiple capacities, including during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as 440 combat missions in North Vietnam, where he was shot down twice. He served a total of three combat tours in Vietnam as both a pilot and forward air controller. His many personal decorations include two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Naval Medal for Personal Heroism, the Bronze Star, as well as numerous Air Medals. His final assignment in the Marine Corps was as Commanding Officer of the OV-10 Bronco Squadron, VMO-2, at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. Colonel Stoffey was the author of two best-selling books: "Cleared Hot" and "Fighting to Leave," both of which relate to his more than 25 years of service as a Marine Corps officer.
At which university did Bob matriculate?
a) Penn State University
b) University of Pittsburgh
c) Lehigh University
The correct answer is a) Penn State University.
Quick Quiz Question #13
13. Tristan Blasko played football for Panther Valley High School (Class of 2018) and Bloomsburg University. Donald “Dinty” Butts played football for Coaldale High School (Class of 1943) and Seton Hall Prep School. Geno Poli played football for Coaldale High School (Class of 1948) and New York University.
What do these three football players from Coaldale have in common?
The answer is: Besides excelling in the sport of football, what these gentlemen have in common is that they all have served the citizens of Coaldale as elected members of the Coaldale Town Council.
Quick Quiz Question #14
Which of the following statements are true about Coaldale football player Nick Berezniak, Coaldale High School Class of 1948?
a) During the Coaldale Tigers’ 1947 season, Nick served as Coach Tom Raymer’s messenger to bring the plays in to the huddle when the offense was on the field.
b) After graduating from Coaldale High, Nick played a season with the semi-pro Nesquehoning Hurricanes while working in the Panther Valley as a coal miner.
c) Nick volunteered to join the US Army during the Korean Conflict (1950-53) and served as a Tank Commander during his deployment to Korea.
d) Nick was the creator and original administrator of the popular Coaldale Past-Present-Future Facebook page.
e) Nick was the creator and webmaster of the popular Coaldale High School Alumni Website, which is no longer active, but through the magic of the Wayback Machine, can still be accessed via https://web.archive.org/web/20250121192359/http://coaldalehighalumni.homestead.com/Articles.html
f) All of the above.
The correct answer is f) All of the above.
Quick Quiz Question #15
The Panther Valley Catholic High Golden Dragons' football program was launched in 1944 during the waning months of World War II and bowed out in its 10th season of play in 1953 to make way for the emergence of Marian High. Name the three schools that provided players for the team.
The correct answer is: St. Ann's of Lansford, St. Mary's of Coaldale and St. Jerome's of Tamaqua.
Quick Quiz Question #16
16. In 1921, when "Blue" Bonner and his Big Green teammates were awarded the Curran and Meade Cup for winning the Anthracite League championship over Shenandoah, he and his twenty teammates each earned $600 for their efforts over that entire season. Before you go to Google to try to find out this answer, take a guess at how much that $600 per player in 1921 equates to in 2026 dollars after adjusting for inflation.
a) about $1,100 per player
b) about $11,000 per player
c) about $110,000 per player
The correct answer is b) about $11,000 per player.
Quick Quiz Question #17
Coaldale's Karpa Brothers--Bernie and Ziggy--played football for the Coaldale Tigers in the late 1940's and early 1950's. Can you name any other Coaldale brother combinations who played football for the Coaldale Big Green and/or Coaldale Tigers and/or St. Mary's and/or Panther Valley Catholic Golden Dragons and/or Marian High Colts and/or Panther Valley Panthers?
Some other brother combinations:
—Bob Cipko (Tigers) & Joe Cipko (Tigers)
—Bill “Angel” Donovan (Colts) & Gerry Donovan (Tigers)
—Tom Dirnberger (Tigers) & Paul Dirnberger (Tigers)
—Al Evans (Big Green), Bill “Honeyboy” Evans (Big Green) & Jack “Honeyboy” Evans (Big Green)
—Billy Evans (Tigers) & Dan “Deacon” Evans (Tigers & Panthers)
—George Hoffman (Tigers) & Kenny Hoffman (Tigers)
—Jim McCartney (Tigers) & George McCartney (Tigers)
—Dan Moyer (Tigers) & Tom “Tucker” Moyer (Tigers)
—Greg Posta (Tigers) & John Posta (Tigers)
—Joe Terry (Tigers) & Thom “Coo-G” Terry (Tigers)
—Ed Trechak (Tigers) & Joe Trechak (Tigers)
—Larry Trubilla (Tigers) & Nick Trubilla (Tigers & Panthers)
—Joe Shanosky (Tigers) & Leo Shanosky (Tigers)
—Bob “Babser” Shubeck (Tigers) & Ed “Finky” Shubeck (Tigers)
—Bill Sproule (Tigers) & Charlie Sproule (Colts)
—Joe Winsko (Tigers), Bob Winsko (Tigers) & Michael Winsko (Panthers)
Quick Quiz Question #18
18. In the early 1920's, Fritz Pollard played Quarterback for the Gilberton Catamounts against the Coaldale Big Green and their legendary Quarterback Len Lithgow. True or False? Fritz was the first black quarterback to play in the National Football League (NFL).
The correct answer is: True. Fritz Pollard is recognized as the first black quarterback in NFL history, playing the position for the Hammond Pros in 1923. Football pioneer Walter Camp called Pollard "one of the greatest runners these eyes have ever seen."
Bonus Question: What the heck is a Catamount?
"A catamount is a large wild cat. Catamount is one of many different names for a mountain lion. In addition to a catamount, a mountain lion may also be referred to as cougar, puma, painter, or panther, but they are all considered to be the same animal."
Quick Quiz Question #19
19. The field in Coaldale that is located next to the Coaldale Complex building (formerly, the Coaldale High School building) has been called various names over the years. Most recently, in an advertisement for Coaldale's annual "Coal Crackin' Rock the Block" celebration, the field is referred to as the "Fire Company Grounds." In the 1990's the field was named the "Joe 'Chappy' Sharpe - Tom Raymer Park" in honor of Chappy, who founded C.H.O.S.E., and Tom who coached the Coaldale Tigers for 37 years. In the late 1950's/early 1960's, when the Coaldale Tigers and Marian Catholic Colts played their home football games there, the field was known simply as the Coaldale Field. What was that field called when the Coaldale Big Green played most of their home games there? The correct answer, as shown in the news clipping below, is "Gildea Stadium."
20. The Borough of Coaldale has produced some of the most professional and prolific sports journalists in our country, including Gene Collier, Ed Hedes, Dennis Gildea, and Eddie Urban. Match each of these sports journalists with the high school from which they graduated:
a) Gene Collier 1) Coaldale High
b) Ed Hedes 2) Marian High
c) Dennis Gildea 3) St. Mary's High
d) Eddie Urban 4) Panther Valley High
The correct answer is: Collier (Panther Valley High), Hedes (Panther Valley High), Gildea (Marian High), Urban (Coaldale High).
Quick Quiz Question #20
21. Name this Coaldale native who played halfback with the 1914 Coaldale Big Green (who, at that time, were known only as the "CoaldaleFootball" team). In 1909, he worked as a water carrier with the Lehigh Coal & Navigation (LC&N) Company, and, 38 years later, on December 23, 1947, he was named as the President of the LC&N Company. He also founded the Panther Valley Recreation Center.
a) Metro Roadside
b) Joe Garland
c) Evan G. Evans
The correct answer is c) Evan G. Evans
Quick Quiz Question #21
Quick Quiz Question #22
22. The young lad sitting in the front row in this photo was the mascot of the Coaldale Big Green. What was his nickname?
a) Bircho
b) Chezlo
c) Moocho
d) Yatsko
The correct answer is d) Yatsko
Quick Quiz Question #23
Moe Burns (Coaldale High Class of 1961) was one of the strongest leaders on the Coaldale Tigers football teams in the late 1950s and 1960 seasons. He played Center on offense and middle guard on defense, was tough as nails, and displayed great leadership ability both on the field and in the locker room. In later life as a businessman, he owned and operated the Greenwood Inn in Seek and another business in Coaldale. Name Moe's other business.
The correct answer is : Halupki House
24. John Polischak, Jr., was a standout football end and running back at Coaldale High on the Tigers' 1934 undefeated-untied 9-0-0 team under Coach Tom Raymer. Later, in college, he went on to earn 12 varsity letters in football, baseball, and basketball. He graduated with a degree in secondary education, then worked for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, before serving in the U.S. Navy. He was a teacher at Twin Valley High School, where he coached soccer, basketball, baseball, and track. After receiving a master’s in 1961, he became dean of men at his undergraduate alma mater, where he reached the rank of associate professor, was director of housing, and coached football and baseball before retiring in 1978. Where did John attend college?
a) Bloomsburg
b) Kutztown
c) Notre Dame
The correct answer is b) Kutztown
Quick Quiz Question #24
In 1910--two years before he established the Coaldale Football team ("Big Green") and 25 years before he was elected to the US House of Representatives--20-year-old James H. "Casey" Gildea established in Coaldale the newspaper known as the "Coaldale Observer":
On which Coaldale street was the "Coaldale Observer" office located?
The correct answer is East Ruddle Street (near the intersection with Second Street).
Quick Quiz Question #25
Quick Quiz Question #25
26. After playing football with the Coaldale Tigers in 1933 and 1934, John Kuzman attended Bordentown Military Institute in New Jersey, and then matriculated at Fordham University where he was an All-American tackle and later inducted into their Hall Of fame. Upon graduation in 1941, he was drafted by the NFL's Chicago Cardinals as World War II was about to begin. Following his service with the US Navy during the war, he joined the San Francisco 49ers in 1946, the year they were founded. He also played pro football later with the Chicago Rockets (1947) and the Jersey City Giants (1948-1949). While he was a Junior student playing for the Fordham University Rams on September 30, 1939, he participated in a landmark event in college football history, i.e. Fordham's game against Waynesburg University, the first college football contest broadcast on live television by a network. That game was played at Randall's Island Stadium in New York City and the matchup was transmitted on W2XBS (now WNBC) using experimental RCA iconoscope cameras. How many viewers would you guess watched that first televised college football game?
a) 500
b) 5,000
c) 50,000
The correct answer is a) 500.