Nov 18, 2014 4 min read

No one on the football coaching staff at Wittenberg University was happier with Waynesburg’s victory over Washington & Jefferson Saturday than Sean Ross.

A former standout linebacker at Waynesburg and now the defensive coordinator at Wittenberg, Ross knew the Tigers not only had an excellent chance for a home game for the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs but that the opponent might be W&J, the school down the road from his other alma mater, Bentworth High School.

Even if that didn’t happen, Ross was simply glad the Yellow Jackets snapped a string of defeats to the Presidents that stretched back to 2003, the last season Ross played at Waynesburg.

“I remember the 2003 game vividly,” said Ross of the 27-17 win. “It was really nice to see them get over the hump.”

Wearing No. 43 and playing inside linebacker for the Yellow Jackets that day, Ross led the team with 10 tackles, had one tackle for a loss of 3 yards and defended a pass. Ryan Abels put the game out of reach when he scored on a 25-yard run with 1:57 to play.

Ross would love to see Wittenberg duplicate that scenario Saturday, when the Tigers (9-1) entertain the Presidents (9-1) in a first-round game at Edwards-Maurer Field.

“My family lives in Washington, and they are coming out to watch,” said Ross.

“It’s going to be an early holiday.”

Joe Fincham, the head coach at Wittenburg, hired Ross as a linebackers coach in 2007, thanks in part to recommendations from other coaches he knew.

“Coaching is a fraternity,” Fincham said. “At Wittenberg, there are a pocket of (available) guys in the area. We had a number of Hanover guys come through our program. In 2007, we had a defensive position come open.”

Ross was coaching at Westminster under former Waynesburg head coach Jeff Hand at the time.

“I just heard through the grapevine that there was an opening,” Ross said. “It’s a good school and has a good football program. In this business, a lot of times it’s not what you know but who you know.”

Ross has contributed to a Wittenberg defense that has led the North Coast Athletic Conference the past three seasons. More important, Wittenberg has not had a losing season since he arrived.

“What Sean has done here is pretty unique,” said Fincham. “He coached linebackers when he got here, then he coached the D-line. He coached the safeties this year. He’s managed to stay within the structure but he’s made the defense his own. The guys play really hard for him.”

Wittenberg’s 4-3 defense is led by linebackers Evan Killilea and Nick Gibson. The two have combined for 157 tackles, four sacks and two interceptions. The Tigers have produced 31 turnovers and have a plus-18 ratio.

“He’s done a good job as their defensive coordinator,” said W&J head coach Mike Sirianni. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he were a head coach someday.”

At Bentworth, Ross started three seasons and was a freshman when the Bearcats snapped a 52-game losing streak in 1996.

“He was a real cerebral player,” said George Lammay, who was the head football coach when Ross played there. “We did a lot of different things with him. He wasn’t gifted with great speed but he so smart. He was a good player to have around.”

Lammay believes Ross was one of the reasons why the program rose from that losing streak to a playoff team in the WPIAL.

“He was part of a very strong freshman team in 1996,” Lammay said. “That was a good group for us.

“I’ve watched his career from a distance. I knew that from his understanding of our system … that it would not surprise me if he became a coach one day.”