Thirty-four years ago, Scott Seltzer won a national championship as a football player at Westminster College
While that title will always be memorable to Seltzer, it’s a feat he rarely hears anyone bring up in conversation these days.
“Not often. A lot of people don’t remember Westminster winning national championships,” Seltzer said. “It was amazing. I was very fortunate to play with a lot of great athletes and for some great coaches.”
A Lawrence County native, Seltzer moved into an important coaching position himself last week. After spending more than a decade as a high-ranking member of the WPIAL, Seltzer is now the league’s new “head coach.”
Seltzer became the WPIAL’s new executive director July 1. He replaced Amy Scheuneman, who served as the league’s top administrator for just about two years. Scheuneman, who left to take a position at P3R, announced her resignation in April.
Seltzer, 55, is a familiar face in local high school sports circles. He was a member of the WPIAL Board of Directors for 13 years, serving as the board’s president for the past six. He spent the past 12 years as the assistant superintendent for school leadership at Chartiers Valley and was the acting superintendent in that school district in 2017-18.
A 1985 Mohawk alum, Seltzer graduated from Westminster in 1989. Over the years, Seltzer has worked as an administrator, teacher and coach. His first job as an administrator came as an assistant principal at Frew Mill School, an institute for adjudicated youth in New Castle that has since closed.
Seltzer follows Charles “Ace” Heberling, Larry Hanley, Tim O’Malley and Scheuneman as full-time executive directors of the WPIAL. Seltzer served as board president under O’Malley and Scheuneman.
Seltzer and his wife, Sandra, live in Neshannock Township. The couple have three children: Alex, 29, Matthew, 26, and Kaitlin, 21.
Q: Why is this job the right fit for you?
A: It’s a job where I can still have an impact on students’ lives. I think sports, especially in the high school realm, can really help build and strengthen the social and mental aspects of student development.
Q: What was your experience at Frew Mill like?
A: The thing that I probably learned the most from that situation is that kids are kids. They want someone to care about them and be honest with them. Those kids had a lot of disadvantages and got themselves into some situations where there were consequences. But those kids, just like all kids, just wanted someone to care about them and treat them with respect.
Q: What did you learn most from Tim O’Malley and Amy Scheuneman?
A: Really, with Tim and Amy, it was to make sure we stayed focused on our role and what our importance is providing opportunities athletically for students. What I learned from Tim is that the decisions you make can have a positive and negative impact, and that you have to take all of it into account before you make a decision.
Q: What are your goals as executive director?
A: My goal is to continue to do what we do and provide those opportunities to those students.
Q: What do you view as being your biggest challenge?
A: Learning what all the schools expect. Depending on what school you talk to, they all have their concerns.
Q: How hot is the Catholic/private/charter school sports issue right now?
A: It usually gets a lot of momentum during playoff time, especially basketball playoff time. It’s not just a situation for the WPIAL, but for every district. What some people want might not be able to get done, but it has to be done globally.
Q: Do you expect that to be one of the bigger topics in your first year on the job?
A: I think it will be one of the bigger topics that we have to at least discuss.
Q: COVID-19 heavily affected the WPIAL financially. Are things now trending in the right direction?
A: Yes. I think people want to get out and watch more games, and that has helped.
Q: The WPIAL hired a communications specialist last year (Ethan Woy) and has been more active on social media. Was that a big emphasis for the league?
A: I think that was a big emphasis for Amy. She wanted to get our message out there, and that has helped greatly.
Brad Everett: beverett@post-gazette.com and Twitter @BREAL412.
First Published: July 6, 2022, 6:45 p.m.
Updated: July 8, 2022, 9:37 a.m.
