The bells still ring, but high school football coaches Jim Render and Joe Hamilton don't pay any attention to them.

No, Hamilton and Render are not deaf. They hear the hallway bells that announce class changes at Blackhawk and Upper St. Clair high schools. It's just that the bells no longer rule their lives.

Both are retired teachers -- Render at Upper St. Clair, Hamilton at Blackhawk -- who have continued as their school's head football coaches.

"For the first time in my life, I'm not answering bells," said Render, who has been retired as a physical education teacher at Upper St. Clair for four years.

"You've answered to a bell all your life. When you retire, you don't have to do that," said Hamilton, who has been retired for five years.

Render and Hamilton are the two winningest football coaches in WPIAL history. Each has more than 300 victories, and neither has shown any signs of slowing down. Blackhawk takes a 5-0 record into its game tonight; Upper St. Clair is 3-2.

They have maintained their winning ways because their respective school districts have retained their services as coaches, even though they are no long in the class room. Actually, both spend a good chunk of their days in their offices at the schools.

It used to be that when a teacher/coach retired that was it, they were done working for the school district. That's no longer the case.

Jack McCurry, who retired as North Hills High's principal at the end of the 2006-07 school year, has continued as the Indians' head coach. Neil Gordon, who retired as Penn Hills' athletic director at the end of that same school year, has taken over Shaler's program.

And Pat Tarquinio, who was the leader in victories among active WPIAL coaches with 269 when he was forced out as the head coach at Beaver after the 1999 season, retired as a guidance counselor at Beaver in 1997. Tarquinio, who guided the Bobcats for two more seasons after that, is currently an assistant at Hopewell.

"It [being retired] has its advantages," McCurry said. "You don't have to get up at 5:30 in the morning and you don't have to put in the 12- to 13-hour days, which can wear on you.

"I have more time for myself. I work out every morning, and that's a plus for my health."

With no class schedule or school duties to worry about, retired coaches have time during the day to break down film and formulate game plans and practice schedules.

Hamilton is usually at Blackhawk at 7:30 a.m. to monitor weightlifting and stays in the building until practice. Blackhawk players are allowed to watch videotape of opponents during study halls, but there has to be a monitor. The film room is next to Hamilton's office.

"It's still important to have contact with the kids," Hamilton said. "I'll look at film during the day and work on game plans, things I used to do when I went home. Now, I have more time to spend with my wife.

"It's sort of like being a college coach because, if I need to leave the building to take care of something, I can just leave."

Render is usually at Upper St. Clair from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. during the season. He strolls into the cafeteria and makes sure he's visible, especially to the players.

"Being retired unclouds your brain of a lot of things and allows you to focus on getting ready for the next game," Render said. "I don't have to worry about who has to make up a gym class."

McCurry, who maintains an office and mailbox at North Hills, said there is a trap retired coaches have to avoid. With more free time to prepare for a game comes the desire to do more things at practice.

"You want to do more, but you have to remember the players' day is still the same, and they have school work to do," he said. "Just because you have more free time doesn't mean they do."

Retired teachers stay in coaching for one main reason ... their passion for football. But there are other benefits.

"Being around the kids helps keep you going ... keeps you young," Hamilton said.

"I have a place to go when I get up in the morning," Render said. "A lot of men are used to getting up and going to an office and, when they retire, they find they miss that."

Ron Wabby, who retired as a teacher and head football coach at Brashear High at the end of the last school year, is currently the defensive coordinator at Sarasota High in Florida.

"You look at Jim Render and Joe Hamilton and guys like that, and they are some of the best coaches in the country, not just the WPIAL," Wabby said. "So, right when they retired did they instantly become bad football coaches? No way.

"We shouldn't lose these guys to coaching just because they turn another year older and retire from teaching."