Belle vernon’s Contz roared with Nittany Lions, marched with Saints
For a guy whose passion was basketball as a young emerging athlete at Belle Vernon High School, Bill Contz found his niche as a football player.
His size, athleticism and ability made him an attractive recruit for a number of Division I football programs.
And his decision to attend Penn State led him to an NCAA championship in 1982 and now to as an author of a book, When The Lions Roared, which chronicles the Nittany Lions’ first national championship in football.
Said Contz: “I more or less fell into something,” with football.
“I loved basketball,” he added. “But football wasn’t the grind it’s made out to be and the most important thing was, for a guy who stood 6-feet, 5-inches and had a 10-inch vertical leap, the opportunities to play at the next level in football were greater than those in basketball.”
The summer before his senior football season in 1979, Contz attracted a large amount of interest from football programs in the region and across the country.
Penn State scouted him. Pitt, West Virginia, Michigan. Clemson and Kentucky were suitors as well.
“I took my trips,” Contz said. “Penn State always sent a lot of material and they scouted me early on. I was attracted to Pitt’s blue and bright yellow uniforms and (coach) Foge Fazio was always around. I had interest in WVU and Michigan, too.
“It was a confusing process. But it ultimately came down to family. I visited Clemson and signed a conference letter of intent. But honestly, it came down to the local schools. They had the right combination for me. And Penn State ended up being the right pick.”
Contz saw his first playing time for the Nittany Lions in 1980 and was a starting offensive tackle in 1981, when Penn State finished with a 10-2 record and Fiesta Bowl win over USC.
He was an integral part of Penn State’s national championship in 1982, when the Lions finished 11-1, including a 27-23 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
“My freshman year, I’m walking around rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bruce Clark,” Contz said. “In the first couple practices, I realized and learned how much was needed in terms of skill set, agility and speed at that level.
“I found out it was a whole different game, no matter the success I had at the high school level. This was a team six months removed from just missing out on a national championship. That level of internal competition helped to make us all better. You understand the inner drive and competitive aspect of everyone involved.
“Our 1982 was a continuation from 1981. It was next-man-up in regard to talent and younger guys stepping up. The ’81 team might have been better than the ’82 team. But our 1982 team was so together. The chemistry and camaraderie was outstanding. The chemistry and closeness were two critical factors.”
That Penn State team and season inspired Contz to write his recently published book.
Contz works through that 1982 season and provides data that contends the Nittany Lions faced one of the most difficult roads in winning the national championship.
He provides much detail about the season, its ups and downs, and also writes about the challenges the team faced after losing a game to Alabama and a most difficult run of competitors it had to defeat on its way to the Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia.
“I think it shows that we had to take a look at ourselves, get back to work and play our way back into the national championship picture,” Contz said. “We had to perform at our highest level as we traveled through a minefield of good teams and programs.”
Contz said the book required a lot of research, collection of data and an introspective look into his self and his life.
“I thought long and hard about a lot of things,” Contz said. “There was some difficulty. I had to give a lot of thought to many things and at the same time be a little creative. It took several rewrites. It is not easy writing about yourself.”
Contz, 56, interviewed many of his teammates and received assistance from former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge.
Contz’s journey from Belle Vernon and Penn State led to an NFL career. He played six seasons, for the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.
He was a fifth-round draft pick of Cleveland in 1983. He played for the Browns from 1983 to 1986 and then for New Orleans (1986-88).
Contz played in 63 NFL games, starting 25 (nine for Cleveland and 16 for the Saints, all as an offensive tackle). He was part of New Orleans’ first winning season, in 1987, which was clinched at Three Rivers Stadium against the Steelers.
“To be able to make a living by playing football, a game, is rare,” Contz said. “I have a lot of great memories. I played on some great teams and had many great teammates. But it does wear you down.”
After retiring, Contz moved to Cranberry Township where he and his wife, Melanie, have lived since.
Contz’s athletic career began in Belle Vernon, where he was part of the Leopards’ first conference football championship his senior season and a starting member of Belle Vernon’s WPIAL championship basketball team in 1978, his junior season.
Contz was a two-tackle for the Leopards. After playing on an 8-2 team in in 1976 and a 6-3 team in 1977, he relished the Big 10 Conference championship the team won his senior season.
He credited Jeff Petrucci, who was in his initial season as Belle Vernon’s coach, and assistant coach Gene Belczyk, for helping to change the culture of the school’s football program.
“Jeff’s influence and the way he operated the program changed the expectations,” Contz said. “We worked hard. They pushed us. We weren’t real big but we were tenacious and had a great deal of heart.”
Belle Vernon upended Jeannette in the first-round of the playoffs before losing to Blackhawk in the semifinals.
Contz and the Leopards did reach the top in basketball.
Belle Vernon finished 26-5 in the 1977-78 season. The Leopards went 14-2 in their section and built a 21-2 record before losing their final two regular-season games to Monessen and Ringgold.
Contz said those two defeats motivated the team and led to a playoff run that included wins over Hempfield, Wilkinsburg, New Castle and Norwin, the latter in the WPIAL finals. They won a PIAA game before seeing their season end with a 10-point loss to Erie Cathedral Prep.
“All of my high school coaches were influential,” Contz said. “We’re very proud of that first football section title and the WPIAL basketball championship.
“I have special feelings about being on that first football championship. Both of those championship teams were coached well. The fundamentals of the game were stressed. We learned hard work and teamwork. Those are things I carry with me to this day.”