LEWISBURG – A former Penn State athlete, local football coach and long-time Lewisburg high school teacher has died. Ray Pottios died last Thursday and was laid to rest today (Tuesday), he was 89. Pottios was also an announcer for our former sister station WMLP of Milton.
He told us in an interview in 2010, he grew up in a small mining village in western Pennsylvania at a time when many students quit after eighth grade to go to work. He says one of his future coaches convinced him to try out for the high school football team,
“We went to the high school, Rab Currie was the famous coach in western Pennsylvania, he said, ‘Come out Ray.’ So I said gosh, I need a job, I need work, but he said, ‘C’mon’ out, if you don’t make the team, then you can quit.’ So, I made the team, we went to practice squad. Then I graduated,” he said.
In high school Pottios played football, wrestling and ran track. Once again, he had to be convinced to continue his education and his athletic career, “So I said, ‘No, I don’t want to go to college, I don’t have the clothes,’ I’ve got a family, nine kids, including mother and dad, so there’s no way I was going to get there. But they coached me on, and so I finally wound up at Penn State. Off campus. I couldn’t afford to go on campus. That was it.”
Pottios went onto successful football and wrestling careers at Penn State. He became shop teacher at Lewisburg High School from 1959 until his retirement in 1987. From 1959-1969, Pottios was also the head wrestling coach and a football assistant coach, before becoming Lewisburg’ head football coach. Pottios had several undefeated seasons, received honors from the West Branch League and was later inducted into the PA Sports Hall of Fame. He’s survived by his wife, children, step-children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Ray Pottios was 89.