HOMECOMING - Robert Morris University

A Winning Tradition"Banaszak's Bunch" can get their old bannersout of the attic. The big defensive lineman fromthe Super Steelers of the '70s has been namedcoach-in-waiting of the Robert Morris Colonials.John Banaszak, now assistant head coach,will succeed head coach Joe Walton afterthe 2013 season."I understand very clearly that Coach Walton is still my boss," Banaszaksaid at a January news conference. "But our relationship goes muchdeeper than that. He's a friend and a mentor. What he's accomplished inbuilding this program is immeasurable, and I hope to continue thetradition of success that he created here."Banaszak got his first of three championship rings with the Steelers hisrookie season as a special teams player. The Eastern Michigan grad wenton to earn two more as the team's starting defensive end. His highlightperformance was Super Bowl XIII, a thrilling rematch against the DallasCowboys in which Banaszak sacked Roger Staubach twice andrecovered a fumble, earning the honor of Defensive Player of the Game.Before coming to RMU in 2003, Banaszak was head coach at Washingtonand Jefferson College, leading the Division III team to a 38-9 record.The Presidents' Athletic Conference, made up of mostly small westernPennsylvania colleges, named Banaszak Coach of the Year each of hisfour seasons at Washington and Jefferson.With the Colonials, Banaszak hasorchestrated great defenses year after year.The team has earned the NortheastConference's top ranking in yards allowed fourtimes in his nine seasons, most recently in 2010,when the Colonials claimed the NEC'sinaugural berth in the Football ChampionshipSubdivision playoffs. Eight defensive linemenunder Banaszak's tutelage have garnered All-NEC recognition, includingNolan Nearhoof, who led the Colonials with seven-and-a-half sacks lastyear and can break the team's career sack record his senior season withfour more.JOHN BANASZAKHEAD COACH IN 2014Walton, who started RMU's football program in 1994, signed atwo-year contract extension last fall that will give him 20 seasons withthe team. He said the Colonials will be in good hands whenBanaszak succeeds him. "He's a good football coach, and he's a goodleader," Walton said. "I'm very confident that the success our programhas had in the past will continue with him as head coachin the future."PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED BYTHE PITTSBURGH STEELERS & RMU ATHLETICSA WINNING TRADITIONWALTON, BANASZAK & THE COLONIALS8 • R M U . E D U / F O U N D AT I O N S R O B E R T M O R R I S U N I V E R S I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S • 9