Football and the French Teacher

Throughout her life, Sister Kathleen Mack has had the reputation of being outstanding—a teacher with innate ability and an administrator who could keep students in line with one piercing look. Her students knew that she meant business and they also knew that she cared about them. By being a woman of strong faith and commitment, she shared Christ’s love – encouraging, challenging, and mentoring with kindness all of her students. Sister Kathleen spent more than 47 years educating young people.

Sr. Kathleen and Joe Mucci

Dennis DiPrimio, Sr. Kathleen, and Joe Mucci

For anyone who enjoys such a long record of excellence, certain experiences out shine others and have a cherished place in the scrap book of one’s life. Being at Greensburg Central Catholic High School was one of those ah-ha, life enhancing, unforgettable periods of Sister Kathleen’s life.

Three years after Greensburg Central Catholic opened its doors to the world in 1959, Sr. Kathleen arrived to teach French--which she did with great energy, good humor, and creativity. Each student passing through the portals of her classroom was greeted with the French version of his or her name. That is until a tall, well built young man protested, “Oh no, you will never call me Denise!” Unfazed she replied, “Well then, you will be Armond.” That was the beginning of a lifelong friendship between the football player and the French teacher. Sister pounced on the opportunity to use the students’ love of football as a tool for learning to speak French. They, in turn taught her to understand the intricacies of football and to love the game. She became one of their greatest fans.

Coach Joe Mucci enlisted Sister’s aid in ensuring that the players applied themselves to their studies with the same rigor as they practiced on the football field. He and the boys often referred to her as “Coach’s assistant.” With her friend, who was a Sister of Mercy, Sister Kathleen attended as many home games as possible and always posted the newspaper articles describing the games in the back of her classroom.

Coach knew he could count on Sister’s help with just about anything. One Saturday morning when the boys were all away, he called and asked her to get something for him from the locker room, which of course she did. Needless to say, she was appalled at the sight and smell. So she enlisted her friend and together they collected all the dirty towels and socks and abandoned clothes hanging out of lockers and washed them. They thoroughly scrubbed the benches and mopped the floor until everything was fresh, the clean laundry was neatly folded and stacked, and the two nuns were pleased with the results. Early Monday morning, dismayed football players waited for Sister in her classroom. “Sister, you were in our locker room over the weekend! Now it smells just like a girl’s bathroom! You’re just like our mom,” they grumbled. She nodded and laughed.

It was during this time that many religious women began to modify the long traditional habits along with the coifs and veils and the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh also changed their garb. On a Monday morning in the spring of 1967, Sister Kathleen stood in the school hall way wearing her new apparel for the first time in public. Coach Mucci walked by with nothing more than a simple, “Good morning, Sister.” Sister Kathleen, flustered by her friend’s seeming snub, grabbed him the arm saying, “Coach, aren’t you going to speak to me today?” A dumbfounded Coach could only stammer, “Sister Kathleen, I never dreamed that you had red hair!” Word spread quickly and a line of students eager to see Sister and new look formed outside the French classroom.

One day Coach asked Sister Kathleen to do him a big favor. There were several college football coaches coming to interview some of the senior team members and he needed someone to take Joe Paterno, the new Coach at Penn State, to lunch! She was delighted to oblige and took Joe Paterno to lunch in the Greensburg Central Catholic High School cafeteria. She calls it one of her claims to fame. “I knew him when!”

Under Coach Joe Mucci’s skillful and persistent leadership and the watchful eye of Sister Kathleen, the Greensburg Central Catholic Team became strong and fearless, winning championship games.

Armond, also known as Dennis DiPrimio, received a football scholarship to Notre Dame and played for the Fighting Irish. Later he became a successful business man. After leaving Greensburg Central Catholic, Joe Mucci continued his passionate love of football and outstanding career as the head football coach at Jeannette High School.

Sister Kathleen became the principal at St. Benedict Academy where she was a loving formator of many young women. There are many interesting stories about her SBA day’s waiting to be shared. If you have a story about Sr. Kathleen that you want to tell please send it to us.

To this day, Sister Kathleen continues to love the football. She is an ardent, loyal fan and follower of both Penn State and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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