By: Greg Gulas
With his time at Boardman and stint at Columbiana, Moschella finished his head coaching career as a member of the 700-win club, posting a combined 713-186 (.793) overall ledger – including his time as boys head coach for the Clippers – in 899 total games coached.
Current McDonald girls’ basketball coach Tony Matisi, who earned his 500th career coaching victory back on November 23, said Moschella taught him to be passionate about everything that he does in life, including coaching.
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“I met Mosch my first year as head coach of Ursuline High School in 1992,” Matisi stated. “He taught me that if you are going to do something, do it with passion and give it 100 percent. I had the pleasure of knowing him for over 30 years and underneath that tough exterior he was always so helpful when I would call and just want to talk basketball. He put Northeast Ohio on the girls’ basketball map and will be sadly missed.”
Allison [Dougherty] Brien also played for Moschella, graduating in 2006. She is currently an assistant on Hammerton’s staff, handling the lower grades and feeder system for the program.
“Coach Mosch had five very important values that he wanted us to implement if you were a part of his program,” O’Brien noted. “It was God, family, school, basketball, social life and in that order. He taught us how hard work can pay off. Most days, our practices were four hours long, which may have felt long in the moment but I would do anything to go back to those days with the greatest teammates of all.
“We weren’t projected to be a state qualifying team my junior year but you better believe we kept pushing and made a dream reality by making our way to the state ‘Final Four,’ his first appearance. We had the time of our lives and I will never forget it. He was more than a basketball coach, he was a family man who loved his children and grandchildren more than anything. I was fortunate enough to have played for him in high school and be able to coach alongside him for a couple of months this season.”
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Former Spartan all-state wrestler and 1973 BHS graduate, Greg Cooper, who served as the athletic director at arch-rival Canfield High School until his retirement, always kept up with the local news during his time in the Navy.
“First and foremost, my sincerest, most heartfelt condolences and sympathy go out to the Moschella family for their loss, Cooper said.
“While I was in the Navy, I kept up with the hometown news by subscribing to The Boardman News and that was when I first heard about coach Moschella. I remember reading with pride about his Lady Spartans’ basketball teams and how good they always were. He was the architect of some of Boardman’s best and most successful squads. Even from afar, it was obvious that he was a fiery competitor who demanded the best from everyone associated with his program.
“I first came face to face with him when I returned home and became Canfield’s athletic director when we played basketball games between the two schools. He lived up to his advance billing and watching him on the sidelines was often as entertaining as the game itself. What really shone through everything was that he was a ferocious competitor and demanding coach on the court, truly caring for each and every one associated with his program.
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“Off the court, he was always a friendly, even gregarious man. You could tell how proud he was of his family and his extended family of players. The local athletic scene is diminished with his passing and he will be sadly missed.”
Dana Balash, the dean of area sportscasters, appreciated Moschella’s passion for the game and for life.
“I covered Coach Moschella’s teams in my early days while serving as a stringer with The Vindicator in the mid-1980’s,” Balash added. “He was professional and always wanted to promote his players and program. When I started in the sports department at WFMJ-TV in 1991, he remembered those days from the ‘80s and always said I knew you back then.
“Ron was passionate on the court and at practice but always credited his players and staff. At times, he would have his assistant coaches do pre or post-game interviews. Even during the tough times, he always returned my calls or consent to an interview where he was never short on words. His on court antics was ‘him’ and no other coach would get away with what he did, but that was Ron Moschella. He simply is girls’ basketball in Boardman.”
Rob Luklan is an Atlantic Coast Conference football official who was selected to work this year’s Alamo Bowl between No. 12 Washington and No. 20 Texas.
He has also officiated local boys and girls’ basketball games for over three decades, noting Moschella expected the best from everyone at game time.
“Ron expected great things from his players and also from the officials,” Luklan stated. “I have had several conversations outside basketball with him and soon realized that he not only cared about the players he coached but boasted of their successes in everyday life.
“We would talk about the North Canton Hoover-Boardman girls’ games because there was no harder game than that one to officiate. It was fun listening to coach and his many conversations during a game. I am deeply saddened by his passing.”
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Jean Armstrong is the longtime secretary in the BHS athletics department, spending the past 32 years working with the many colorful coaches and characters who have walked through their doors.
“Ron was a great coach, a person who cared about everyone and everything and was a lot of fun to work with,” she noted. “I will miss him.”
Former Spartans boys’ soccer coach, Eric Simione, has been courtside for many of Moschella’s games where he serves as the school’s public address announcer. “Announcing games that Mosch coached was always entertaining, yet a challenge,” Simione said. “There were plenty of times when I had to turn off the microphone so no one would hear me chuckle over something he said or did from the bench. He was a great motivator for his players but you could learn a lot from him as a coach, too, if you were inclined to pay attention. I realized his players would do anything he demanded in a game or practice because they knew how much he cared about them away from the game.
“Ron was simply a great guy with a heart of gold, a wonderful wife, three amazing daughters, fantastic grandchildren and my thoughts are with all of them during this trying time.”
He gave the media multiple storylines and they appreciated his candor.
“You just had to love the guy, quite simply, because he was a news and sports person’s delight,” area freelance sportswriter and noted humorist John Butera added. “He was a delight to work with and his quotes were classic. His coaching style was really something to watch and there was never a dull moment when you covered one of his games.”
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Son-in-law Brian Terlesky coached basketball for his father-in-law with both serving as golf coaches – Terlesky the boys and Moschella the girl’s – for the Spartans.
“Ron Moschella was the ultimate family man, loving his family more than anything,” Terlesky stated. “He had a passion for teaching and coaching because he genuinely loved people. His intensity for life and his willingness to push others to make the most of themselves was what made him a legend.
“Boardman students, especially the girls that played for him in basketball, were blessed with his love. Once he became part of your life, if you could handle it, he never let you go and you became a part of his extended family. His life will be known for his unique ability to see the best in people and the potential they possessed. He was the best father, grandfather, teacher, coach and husband.
”The love he had for his wife, daughters, and grandchildren was immeasurable. His generosity through his constant wishes to take care of people, feed them, make people laugh and have fun made him such a special person. There will never be a high school coach that was as successful as he was and this success is measured by the love that he has received from the many lives that he has influenced.
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“A second father to so many as a teacher and coach, he was most proud of his 10 grandchildren, pushing each one of them with high expectations but most importantly, his love. He won over 700 games, went to three state championships with his golf teams and two state finals with his basketball teams. The loss of his eldest daughter and fellow coach, Christine, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, devastated him over the past two years. He missed her more than words could describe.
“He was so proud of people for their successes. There will never be another person quite like Mosch.
“He was emotional, gave the best hugs, wore his heart on his sleeve, wore the best cologne, made the best jokes and made you want to be the best version of yourself that you could be. He will be loved and missed greatly while the world lost a true father.”
This article has been republished with permission by the Boardman News.
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