Steve Padjen, Football Coach 1955 - 65

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Personal Photographs

Jack Bemiller [class of 1955] and Coach Padjen, circa1964
Jack Bemiller was an end for EHS and played college football at Syracuse.

Sheppard & Myers Field

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Reunions

Career Reviews

Steve Padjen was an extraordinarily successful football coach of the Hanover High School Nighthawks. His 77-33-2 record was the best achieved by a football coach since scholastic football began in Hanover in 1923. As a high schooler, Padjen played for the Steelton Rollers who have their own football history steeped in tradition and success. During the 40s Steelton was ranked number 1 in the state with a perfect record of 10-0-0 and since then has seven Central Penn League championships.

Padjen played tailback on the Steelton High School single wing formation during his high school days and graduated in 1941. He was awarded All-State Honors for his 1940 high school season. He entered Dickinson College but then spent three and one-half years in the Army, seeing service in Germany. He was discharged from the military in 1946, reentered at Dickinson and graduated from college in l948. He joined the Eichelberger High School faculty in that same year.

Padjen said in a 1964 interview that his top thrill as a coach came in 1959 when Hanover beat Carlisle, 24-3 for the South Penn title. Heilman, who went to Colgate, and Kehr, who went to West Point, were the stars of that team.

Padjen coached football at Hanover Junior High School (1951-54) prior to taking over the senior high team in 1955. In four years his grid teams had a record of 22-0-2 while his basketball squad ran up 39 straight victories, ending his tenure with a 45 - 5 record.

Padjen takes pride in the fact that most of his players were academically minded and many of them went on to college careers. Steve Padjen coached young men and turned out some of the top players in York county history.

Bemiller Protégé

One of his protégés was Al (Jack) Bemiller, who played center for the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League from 1961-69. When Jack played for the Hawks he was a 173-pound end. He played a huge role in the success of the Syracuse University’s outstanding teams during the late 50s (ranked #1 in the nation in 1959) and was rated as one of the standout defensive players in the AFL.

All-State Players

Seven former players under Padjen were awarded all-state mention:

• Gary Amspacher who was all-state end in 1958;

• Bob Forry, one of Hanover's all-time great athletes, who gained recognition in basketball and football in 1954, 1955 and 1956;

• Dave Rodman in 1956;

• Jim Heilman, a standout football and baseball star who matriculated to stardom at Colgate and who signed a professional baseball contract;

• Tom Stahl and Marlin Dutterer from the 1959 squad who went to Syracuse;

• and three players from the 1963 squad which had an 8-2 record. These include Bob Shue, Tom Reichert and Tom Smyser, all of whom were given all-state mention.

Big 33

Six of Padjen's players have been chosen for the Big 33 football team, which Coach Padjen helped coach in 1963. They include Rodman, a center in 1956; Amspacher in 1958; quarterback Ted Kehr and halfback Heilman in 1959; Don Coffman, a tackle in 1962; and Jeff Duncan, halfback in 1964. (Editors note: Big 33 games are played the summer after the football season.)

All of the above mentioned players were South Penn Conference all-star selections.

Junior High - this section is in development.