Half a century on the sidelines: Ream steps away after 50 years of coaching
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MIFFLINTOWN -- When Al Ream stepped down as Juniata High School’s boys basketball coach following last season, it marked the end of an extraordinary 50-year coaching career in Juniata County.
But the 74-year-old wasn’t quite ready to leave the sidelines.
Ream served as a volunteer assistant coach with the Juniata High School football team this fall and will be a volunteer coach for both the Tuscarora Junior High School and Juniata High School boys basketball teams this winter. While he has stepped away from leading a varsity program, he still enjoys the opportunity to work with young athletes and help coaches develop.
“I still have that itch,” Ream said.
For Ream, coaching was never primarily about wins and losses. The victories he cherishes most came long after the final whistle.
“When I look back, it’s seeing those kids become fathers, businessmen, members of the workforce and doing well for themselves,” Ream explained. “That’s the reflection I have on how I touched kids’ lives.”
The feeling stems from his own experiences as a young athlete.
“My life was touched by my football coaches,” he said. “I just felt like I wanted to give back.”
That desire launched a coaching career that spanned five decades and two school districts.
A graduate of Bloomsburg University, Ream competed in football and baseball during his college years. After graduation, he still wanted to be involved in sports and discovered coaching provided an avenue to mentor young people.
He began his coaching career at Juniata, serving as a junior high football assistant under Gary Klingensmith, whom Ream credits as an important mentor.
“Gary was a good mentor when I first started with him,” Ream said. “I learned a lot from him in two years. I enjoyed listening to him and talking with him. We had a good relationship.”
Ream also credits former junior high head coach Joe Lauver and former East Juniata High School Principal Ray Baker with helping him navigate the ups and downs.
"Joe and I are still friends," Ream said. "When I was learning and growing, Ray was always there to support me and help me."
By his third year, Ream was serving as an assistant football coach, assistant basketball coach and head track coach. Baseball also remained part of his life through years of Little League coaching.
Over time, football became his greatest coaching passion, with basketball close behind.
Building programs and developing athletes
His coaching stops included Juniata, East Juniata and West Perry, where he taught and coached countless student-athletes.
Among his favorite memories was East Juniata’s 1992 football season. The Tigers finished 6-2-1 and defeated rival Juniata, 13-0.
“That was a real big event for East Juniata and for the football program,” Ream said.
Track also brought tremendous success. He coached an East Juniata girls team that finished second at the PIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Wanda Ferster captured three state titles and set two state records, while Troy Hess earned a state championship in the discus.
At West Perry, Ream served as head football coach from 1998 through 2013. His 1999 team finished 9-2 and narrowly missed a deeper playoff run. Among the players he coached was Musa Smith, who later spent five seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
He was also privileged to coach his three children, Alison, Kyle and Katelyn.
Basketball provided plenty of memorable moments as well, including Juniata’s trip to the state tournament behind seniors Tyler Clark, now athletic director at Juniata and Tuscarora, and Josh Parson.
“Every year was a new team,” Ream recalled. “It was a lot of fun. It was frustrating at times, but most times I didn’t have too many confrontations with parents. I treated the kids well and I think the parents appreciated that.”
A mentor to players and coaches
Ream's impact extended beyond the players he coached. Scott Clark, who later served as one of Ream’s assistants at Juniata, first knew him as a competitor before eventually joining him on the sidelines.
When Juniata was searching for a new varsity boys basketball coach, Clark believed the program needed someone focused on player development, accountability and mentorship.
“We were looking for someone who wasn’t invested because of their own children, but someone who could be a strong head coach, provide great workouts to help the kids develop and, most importantly, bring accountability while serving as a positive role model,” Clark recalled.
Clark felt Ream was the perfect choice.
“Who better than Al Ream?” Clark said. “He accepted the job and took a group of kids who wanted to win and helped lead them to a TVAA basketball championship. His leadership and persistence in pushing them to be better was unreal. It takes a lot to win any championship, but first it takes a championship person, and that’s Al Ream.”
When Ream announced that last season would be his final year leading the Indians boys basketball program, he hoped the next coach would continue the culture he helped build. That search led to former player and assistant Ben Lauver.
“Both played under me,” Ream said of Lauver and assistant Bryson Clark. “They know the routine. They know the games. They loved basketball when they played.”
“Coach Ream has made a big impact on me as a family friend, coach and mentor, and I’m sure he has had that impact on countless student-athletes over his 50 years of coaching,” Lauver said. “Coach Ream was always working to bring the best out of our team on and off the court.”
While Lauver remembers the success his teams enjoyed, it was Ream’s daily interactions that left the greatest impression.
“What I remember just as much as the success on the court is Coach Ream greeting players every day with a smile and firm handshake and asking how you were,” Lauver said. “He would also shake every player’s hand after each game, win or lose.”
Lauver credits Ream for inspiring him to pursue coaching.
“Coach Ream has inspired me to become the next basketball coach at Juniata, and I strive to have the positive impact on my players that he had on myself and many others,” Lauver said.
TJ Quaker, who coached under Ream at West Perry, called him a “good role model for kids and coaches.”
“We worked together for a long time,” Quaker recalled. “He came at a time when there was a lot of chaos with the program. The old coach was going out, and Al came in and brought a lot of stability. He was morally sound and wanted to run a value-driven program. He was everything our program needed.”
A different chapter
For Ream, comments like those represent the true measure of a coaching career.
After 50 years of coaching, teaching and mentoring, he is proudest not of championships or records but of the people his former players became.
Now, he is looking forward to a different balance in life. He and his wife, Jeanne, have three children and eight grandchildren. Three are currently in junior high, including twin granddaughters who attend West Perry and play basketball. He has grandsons who are active in baseball and basketball.
For decades, Ream devoted countless hours to other families’ children. Now he wants to devote more time to his own family.
“I wanted to give to other kids and other families,” Ream said. “Now I want to give some time back to my family. I don’t want to see them grow up and not know that Pap loves them and wants to help them however he can.”
Serving as a volunteer coach allows Ream to stay connected to the games he loves while enjoying more flexibility. He can attend practices and games, offer guidance when needed and spend more time with his family.
It is a balance that feels right.
The games might change. The roles might change. But after 50 years on the sidelines, the desire to teach, mentor and give back remains as strong as ever.
For Ream, coaching was never just about the score.
It was always about the people.