Valley baseball community mourns longtime Cal U coach Gismondi

Legendary Cal U baseball coach Chuck Gismondi, shown after his induction into the university’s athletic Hall of Fame in 2003.
Cal U Athletics

By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
The Mon Valley, and California University in particular, lost an icon with the passing of Chuck Gismondi this week.
Gismondi, an Elco resident, died Saturday at age 77. He coached baseball 24 years at Cal U, including 17 as the head coach of the Vulcans.
While he was a successful, respected coach, he was also admired by his players and considered quite the character by those who knew him well.
He was considered more than a coach, but a friend and father figure to many of his players. He was trusting and gave his players respect that earned him twice as much in return.
Some of his former players and associates credited Gismondi for molding their career directions later in life.
One of those is Don Hartman.
Hartman played for Gismondi from 1986 to 1990 and was a highly-regarded catcher and hitter.
After graduating from Cal U, Hartman became a teacher and legendary baseball coach at California High School. His teams won two WPIAL titles and he later left California to coach softball at Frazier, where he also won a WPIAL crown in his first season and a PIAA title this past season.
“When I came out of high school, I wasn’t even thinking much about college,” said Hartman. “I saw him one day at Vets Field (in Charleroi) and he recruited me hard right there. So, I signed with Cal U because of that.
“Coach Gismondi one day asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t really know. He told me he saw me as a great teacher and coach. I changed my major, went into teaching and coaching and here I am today.
“He saw more in me than I did in myself as a 20-year-old. He set the direction for my life.”

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