Kroskie remembered for his fire, tenacity

By JEFF OLIVER
MVI Sports
When I first met Joe Kroskie, I didn’t like him much.
That was understandable because my introduction to him came when we were on rival softball teams in the early 1980s. Back then, if you were a competitor, those softball rivalries were real. Make no mistake, we were both competitive.
Joe wasn’t the most talented softball player, but his feisty style made him a great fit for his team back then.
A few years later, I got to really know him better when he was the defensive coordinator on some fine Belle Vernon Area football teams, serving under coaches Bill Connors and Gary Dongilli.
As the mastermind of some great units, Kroskie was the perfect fit at that position. It was his competitive nature and the chip on his shoulder that he coached with that served him well.
“Joe really knew defense and he was always prepared,” said Dongilli, who guided BVA to a WPIAL title in 1995.
“We had some of the best defenses in the WPIAL,” Dongilli added. “In ’95 when we won it, I think we posted seven shutouts. Joe was huge for us.”
I was saddened when I received the news of his death Monday at the age of 73.
The last time I saw Joe, he wasn’t his normal feisty self. He was kind of reserved. Parkinson’s Disease will do that to the best of us.
I’m so glad I got to know him outside of softball because I was able to realize what a brilliant football mind he had and how he could get his personality transferred to his players.
In the softball community, I didn’t have much use for Joe. We were just too similar as far as temperament and the desire to win.
As a sportswriter, I came to really appreciate the canvas he painted with his BVA defenses. His competitive nature was still there as he took pride in teaching defense to his players.
I will tell you this much: In my career, the two high school coaches who I perceived as having the best defensive minds I’ve ever observed were Jack Scarvel and Kroskie. That’s great company to be in.
Dongilli recalled that Kroskie sometimes pushed his button with extra long practices.
“We sometimes stayed on the field longer than I liked because Joe was still working on his defense. He was very thorough. That’s the way he was,” Dongilli said.
Later in his coaching career, our paths would again cross fairly regularly in another sport. Golf.
While we were still competitive as hell on the course, the friendship we forged as writer-coach didn’t make us the adversaries we were years earlier in softball.
I enjoyed picking his brain about his coaching days, his top players and best accomplishments.
He loved talking football. He’d brag about his players. He had so much pride in his ability to coach and was able to focus that pride on his fellow coaches and players.
He enjoyed talking defense, explaining his style and beliefs. His passion for coaching was obvious and so was his confidence.
Those BVA teams had more than talent. They had swagger – especially on the defensive side of the ball.
If you watched those teams play, you could see Kroskie’s personality stamped on the defensive unit. Rugged. Aggressive. Cocky. Spirited. Dominating. I really appreciated that.
After knowing and seeing him for over three decades as a softball player, coach and then golfer, it was tough when I saw him last when Parkinson’s was was taking its toll.
He seemed unsure of himself, quiet and reserved. Even with such a devastating disease trying to consume him, he was still competitive on the golf course … just not the same conversational piece.
The last time I talked to him, his eyes told me he wasn’t the same. And that hurt.
I hadn’t thought much about him in recent years until I got word of his passing. I paused and thought about the old days. Then I realized how blessed I was to have gotten to know him.
Today, I’m missing him. Heck, I’d even enjoy going against him one more time in softball because even when I didn’t like him then, I respected his fire and tenacity for the game.
We have all known a Joe Kroskie in our lifetime. For those of you who had a chance to develop a relationship with him, I’m sure today you are missing him, too.
Thanks, Joe, for allowing me a chance to get to know the real you – both as rival and acquaintance. Godspeed, my friend.

Anyone with any thoughts, opposing views or comments on this column can reach Jeff Oliver by emailing justjto@verizon.net.