Charleroi honors Pottios with stadium name
Charleroi alumn Myron Pottios, left, shakes hands with Charleroi Mayor Terrence Newstrom as Pottois was honored before the start of Friday’s Washington-Charleroi game. Pottios, a 1957 graduate of Charleroi, went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Charleroi Area School District renamed the football stadium in Pottios’ honor.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Charleroi alumn and retired NFL player Myron Pottios greets CharleroiþÄôs Hunter Perry before the start of the game on Friday, September 2. The football stadium at Charleroi was renamed the Myron Pottios Stadium on Friday.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Myron Pottios waves to the crowd after being recognized for his NFL career before the start of the Charleroi football game. Pottios is a Charleroi alumn.
CHARLEROI – Myron Pottios spent a lot of time honing his skills on the football fields of Charleroi.
Friday night, the former Cougars’ star was honored by the Charleroi Area School District when it renamed Charleroi Stadium after the former NFL star prior to the team’s home opener against Washington.
“This is awesome and more than I anticipated,” said the 77-year-old Pottios. “To see what they have done, it is more than I can comprehend.
“It is very, very nice, especially with my family being here.”
After graduating from Charleroi, Pottios attended Notre Dame on a football scholarship.
The linebacker was selected in the second round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Steelers and the third round of the upstart AFC by the Oakland Raiders.
He chose to stay close to home and play for the Steelers. As a rookie, the middle linebacker appeared in all 14 games, intercepting a pair of passes and recovering a fumble.
That was the first of a 13-year run in the NFL where he played for the Steelers, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Redskins. In 1963, he was an All-Pro pick for the Steelers.
He was with the Redskins in 1972 and played in Super Bowl VII, losing to the unbeaten Miami Dolphins, 14-7.
Pottios finished his career with 12 career interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries.
Longtime Charleroi Athletic Director Bill Wiltz hosted a ceremony where a new Cougar statue was unveiled outside of the entrance way to the stadium.
“This is all about tradition and goes back to when our teams were amazing,” Wiltz said. “He is our greatest professional athlete, and we are honored to have him here for this.”
Pottios, who resides in Carlsbad, Calif., was honored during the presentation and then a formal celebration was held on the field minutes prior to kickoff.
Almost 80 family members showed up from all over the country, including 10 from California, Arkansas, Kansas City and Charlotte, N.C. Some of his former Notre Dame teammates also attended the ceremony.
“To see my teammates and classmates show up, it is really amazing,” Pottios said. “This is something that is hard to explain and it just means so much to me and it is hard to explain this all.”