Penn State hires longtime WPIAL coach Bob Palko for director of high school relations role
Penn State has hired a longtime and well-known Pennsylvania prep coach for a new role on its support staff. Former West Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon coach Bob Palko is now the Lions’ director of high school relations. The university posted the job last month. Dorian Dickerson of The Fan Morning Show first reported the news.
Palko won eight WPIAL titles at West Allegheny over 24 years at the school. He then led Mt. Lebanon to a WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A title in 2019. The 63-year-old left Mt. Lebanon earlier this year. He is a member of the PSFCA Hall of Fame.
“People will talk about the wins and all that stuff, but it’s not that,” Palko told The Pittsburgh Union Progress when asked about the most rewarding part of his coaching career to date. LI think raising my family around athletics and watching my children grow and watching, like I tell you, the staff and the families, their children. To watch them come through the program — like I told you, it’s 12 months. So I’m around coaches year-round.
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“You get to know their families and their wives and their children. And you cherish the relationships with the players and the families. You spend all this time with them, and you can’t help but to have relationships with them. And those are the things that you cherish. Just the people you meet on a daily basis and the parents and the families. It’s like a huge family.”
What does the director of high school relations do at Penn State?
It goes without saying that Palko will have numerous responsibilities at Penn State. But, the official job posting offered some insight on some of what he will do. The list was as follows:
- Assist in getting teams to the Penn State Football’s Lion Strong 7on7 and Big Man Challenge Camps.
- Assist in Penn State Football’s annual clinic for high school coaches from throughout the region.
- Reach out to 5 High School / Junior College Head Coaches a day.
- Assist with all Unofficial Visits & Official Visits.
- Assist with recruiting on gamedays.
- Serve as staff’s liaison to the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) and assist the group with their annual coaching clinic held locally.
- Assist the recruiting staff’s efforts with respect to writing, texting and direct messaging high school football coaches to establish a relationship and keep them informed of all events and changes in the football program.
- Mentor all student athletes by having a presence at all workout, practices, and in the training room; meet with student athletes.
