Fresh off successful high school and college football careers, Tarentum's Chris Warriner was wanted by the Steelers.
But in 1952, Warriner knew he was facing another draft -- from the military. To exercise some control over his destiny, rather than wait to be drafted, Warriner enlisted in the Army. He served for two years, including 10 months in Korea.
"Over there, you don't think of anything but coming back alive," said Warriner, 78, of Harrison.
Upon his return, he could've gone to the Steelers, but after "being away for two years and just coming back from overseas and all that, I wasn't in the proper frame of mind to start rehabilitating and getting ready for a pro career."
Instead, Warriner pursued a career as a teacher, a coach and ultimately an athletic director for the newly formed Highlands School District.
The Highlands Gridiron Club honored Warriner for his service prior to kickoff at the Golden Rams varsity football homecoming game on Friday.
The club last year began honoring graduates of the former Har-Brack and Tarentum school districts, which merged to form Highlands. The first honor went to Har-Brack graduate and NFL player Cookie Gilchrist.
This year, when the turn came to honor a Tarentum graduate, Warriner was first on the list, said club member Mike Choma, 54, of Brackenridge.
"He had such a life span with Highlands. He devoted his whole career to the school district as a player, coach and athletic director. He knows every rung of the ladder as far as that goes," said Choma, who coached basketball under Warriner in the early 1980s. "It was unanimous as far as choosing him. There wasn't a second name on the ballot for the first time. He's a top notch guy, and he really represents Highlands."
A 1948 graduate of Tarentum High School, Warriner was a star football player, playing on the undefeated 1947 team. His play earned him a football scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh, where he was from 1948 to 1952.
"My dad was a coal miner and a truck driver and unable to send me to college," Warriner said. "I was fortunate being awarded a football scholarship."
Warriner distinguished himself at Pitt as an end and punter. After returning from military service, he was a teacher and assistant varsity football coach in the former Crafton School District from 1954 to 1955, when he returned to Tarentum High. He was a teacher and assistant football coach from 1955 to 1961, and head football coach from 1961 to 1967.
The state Department of Education ordered the merger of the Har-Brack and Tarentum school districts in 1964, but they operated as separate entities until the 1968-69 school year.
That's when Warriner became the district's athletic director, a position he would hold until retiring in 1990.
Warriner was named athletic director by Highlands' first superintendent, Nick J. Staresinic, who presented Warriner with a plaque at Friday's festivities. During his career, Warriner expanded the athletic department from four sports primarily for boys to 17 that included offerings for girls.
"I enjoyed it," Warriner said. "I enjoy athletics. I enjoy seeing the kids play and the coaches coach. I enjoyed every part of it."
Staresinic, of Harrison, said Warriner's work went a long way toward getting the merged district moving forward as one, and credited him for developing the athletic program as it's known today at Highlands.
"There was some natural rivalry during the years between Tarentum and Har-Brack," Staresinic said. "Therefore, it wasn't an easy task just to dissolve the two programs and make them one. Chris did it and did it well. It went along as smoothly as it could under the circumstances."
A golfer in his retirement, Warriner can still be found in the stands at Highlands football and basketball games.
"I'm proud of setting up the athletic program in the new school. I've always been proud of Highlands. I'm a Highlands man through and through," he said. "I'm just thankful that the community was gracious enough to accept me, and I enjoyed every bit working at it."
Brian Rittmeyer can be reached at brittmeyer@tribweb.com.
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