WPIAL's All-Time Winningest Football Coach Jim Render Retires

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Jim Render is retiring as coach of the Upper St. Clair football team, leaving a legacy of greatness and exiting as the winningest football coach in WPIAL history.

Render coached in Ohio and at Uniontown High School before coming to Upper St. Clair, where he spent the past 40 seasons. He is the lone WPIAL coach to notch 400 wins, something only 29 other high school football coaches in America have accomplished.

In Render’s four decades at USC, the Panthers reached the playoffs 38 times - earning 23 conference titles, five WPIAL championships and two PIAA championships.

“I have had the privilege of serving as head coach for the Upper St. Clair football program for 40 years,” Render said in a statement. “During that time, the school district’s football program has achieved great success and many young men have gone on to have outstanding collegiate football careers as well as remarkable success in their chosen professions.”

Said Upper St. Clair superintendent John Rozzo: “Coach Render has built a highly successful high school football program here in Upper St. Clair – winning numerous titles and accolades. We are grateful for his many years of service to the Upper St. Clair School District.”

Render was recognized as the Scholastic Coach of the Week by the Pittsburgh Steelers in September. During the two-minute warning of the first half, he was presented a framed Steelers jersey boldly displaying his last name and the number 400.

Last month, the Steelers nominated Render for the 2018 Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award, which honors high school football coaches that display the integrity, achievement and leadership exemplified by the winningest coach in NFL history, Don Shula. Render and 31 other nominees have been invited to attend the upcoming Pro Bowl in Orlando.

Render was inducted into the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. In addition, he was recognized with the Lou Holtz Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

Beyond his role as football coach, Coach Render has deep roots within the Upper St. Clair community. A former high school physical education teacher, he and his wife, Pam, both retired following long careers within the Upper St. Clair School District, where they raised their two sons – J.T. and Eric.

"Coach Render has had a great impact on our football program and on the Upper St. Clair community over the years," school board president Amy Billerbeck said. "We commend Jim on his achievements and wish him all the best in his retirement."

District officials plan to begin searching for Render’s successor in the coming weeks.

Photo via Upper St. Clair School District.

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