EXCERPT:
He has sat at the table for more than 500 games.

He has announced over 5000 starting players.

He has pushed the buttons on his clock through eight coaching changes and seven presidential administrations.

Since 1976, Dick McIntyre, who recently celebrated his 78th birthday, has been the public address announcer, timekeeper, and scoreboard operator for Panther Valley High School boys' basketball.

McIntyre, a father of three, a grandfather of five and a great-grandfather of four, grew up in Coaldale (Note: CHS Class of 1953) and now lives in Lansford.

FULL ARTICLE:

He has sat at the table for more than 500 games.

He has announced over 5000 starting players.

He has pushed the buttons on his clock through eight coaching changes and seven presidential administrations.

Since 1976, Dick McIntyre, who recently celebrated his 78th birthday, has been the public address announcer, timekeeper, and scoreboard operator for Panther Valley High School boys' basketball.

Beginning with the season when Gerald Ford was President of the United States, hometown fans have heard McIntyre's raspy roar, his signal for Panther starters to run onto the court upon his cue.

"Back in the day, I would pump it up pretty good," he says in reference to his announcing style. " In my first years there were players like Gary Barna, Brian Raabe, and Jim Mikovich (PV's all-time leading scorers) and of course, my son Rick. They played on some great teams at the old high school gym which was packed for many of the games."

McIntyre, a father of three, a grandfather of five and a great-grandfather of four, grew up in Coaldale and now lives in Lansford. He taught all levels of math classes at Panther Valley, beginning in 1960 until he retired in 1993. He remains at the scorer's table to this day because, as he says simply, "I love being around the coaches and some of my former students."

"And it's something to do in the winter," he adds with a laugh.

Eddie Clark, who has been a basketball official, also for 38 years, has nothing but accolades for McIntyre.

"Dick is very knowledgeable and professional. He's not a 'homer.' He's fair to both teams as are we officials so that makes us a good team."

"I enjoy doing games with Dick on the clock," says 41-year veteran official, Jimmy Kimmel. "He is efficient and reliable. In some schools, clock operators are replaced frequently and the overall inexperience can cause problems with the timekeeping. The officials may have to come to the table several times in a game to correct mistakes. Even if Dick makes a rare mistake, he can fix it without disrupting the tempo of the game."

Two of McIntyre's math students include former PV athletic director, Mike Lukac, and current boys' coach, Pat Crampsie.

"What you see with Mr. McIntyre is not what you get," says Lukac." He may not seem to smile much, but on the inside he has a heart of gold. He never says no to anyone who needs something to be done, including to me when I went from being his student to being kind of his boss. It was a role reversal that was difficult for me, but not for him."

Crampsie speaks of McIntyre from three perspectives: a child, a student, and now a colleague.

"As a kid I would go to the PV games and Mr. Mac would give me chills when he announced the players. When I got to high school, he was my teacher and he would scare me in a good way to make sure I did my homework. Now that I coach alongside him, I can see how much he loves and lives Panther Valley basketball. He is so happy to see us do well."

Up until three years ago, McIntyre also kept the clock for District 11 Class AA wrestling tournaments where he had announced hundreds of wrestlers' names for 33 years of matches. When asked whether basketball or wrestling was his favorite sport, he answered without hesitation.

"Baseball. I just love baseball," says McIntyre, who was an assistant baseball coach at PV for eight years.

He remains, however, a fixture at the Panther boys' basketball games where he has collaborated with the Gauronsky scorebook team, first with Mary Louise for six years, and now with her husband, Ted, who has been his partner at the table for the past six years.

Ted recalls a recent game when he looked up at the scoreboard and saw that Panther Valley had 126 points in the second quarter. He made a quick gesture to McIntyre.

"I was used to another scoreboard I had worked for so many years," says McIntyre, "but on this newer one the scoring button is right above the foul button so when I pushed what I thought was the first foul on number 26, I hit the scoring button instead. If I don't correct a mistake right away at the table, the fans behind us will start hollering to let me know I better fix it quick.

"Every now and then, I will start the clock too early or too late, but it's no big deal. The official will just ask me to reset the time."

Other than an occasional power outage, McIntyre's clock experiences have been relatively glitch-free.

Throughout the years, McIntyre never missed a game unless it was to see his granddaughter play college basketball.

Away from the gym, McIntyre spends time with Betty, his companion of 22 years, and her grandson, Adam, a junior at Panther Valley.

"Betty and I have been best friends for a long time and Adam and I are inseparable. We play golf together and now I am helping him to learn how to drive."

McIntyre, who has battled a heart condition and prostate cancer, has no intention of giving up his timekeeper's job any time soon. He says he wants to make it to 40 years and then see how he feels.

"I played club darts for much of my life, but three years ago I just knew it was time to stop so I think this will be the same way. But for now, I just love being in the environment and there's nothing better than doing a game when the gym is packed and the crowd is loud."

"Mr. McIntyre is a wonderful asset to Panther Valley," says current athletic director, Kristin Black. "We all look up to him, especially our young athletes. He's a wonderful role model for them."

The fact that time on the clock ticks down minute by minute does not matter to him. What's important is the outcome of the game and for Dick McIntyre, the numbers on the board should also note that he has scored enough points during his 38 years behind the microphone to become an all-time winner at Panther Valley High School.