Former assistant with Penn-Trafford championship team named new Latrobe football coach

Ronald Prady has experienced two recent state championship seasons at Penn-Trafford — as an assistant football coach this past fall and as an assistant softball coach in 2019.

Fans of the Wildcats are hoping he will continue that winning trend as the new coach of the Latrobe football program.

The school board Tuesday named Prady to lead the Latrobe coaching staff. He succeeds Jason Marucco, who resigned after eight seasons with a record of 20-56 with two WPIAL Class 5A playoff appearances.

Prady has taught junior high math at Greater Latrobe since 2006. His supplemental coaching salary has yet to be determined.

A Penn Township native and resident and a 1990 Penn-Trafford graduate, Prady got to coach his kids at P-T: Jake in football and Allie, who was part of the championship softball team.

“It was really tough leaving Penn-Trafford,” he said, “but my kids are grown. It’s a great opportunity for me to coach where I’m teaching. It’s a different challenge. I’m really looking forward to it.”

His wife, Liz, also is a Latrobe faculty member, teaching English at the junior high.

“As much as I love the Penn-Trafford community, I love these (Latrobe) kids just as much,” Prady said.

Prady has crossed paths with many of the Wildcats players in his classroom and on the opposing side of the field. He plans to meet with all of them as a team on Wednesday.

“We have some great athletes here, some good kids,” he said. “I’m looking forward to working with them. I’ll get to know them a little better as we go.”

Another priority for Prady will be filling out his coaching staff.

Given the time requirements, he said, “Coaches are harder and harder to find now. You don’t do it for money, that’s for sure. You do it for the love of the kids and the game.”

Prady expressed respect for the hard work of Marucco and his staff. But, he said, “I just think we need some cultural changes,” based on elements of success he’s picked up during his 25 years of coaching.

“You can’t win without being tough, and you can’t be physically tough without being mentally tough,” he said, adding, “You have to play good defense.”

Prady has been part of the Penn-Trafford football staff for a decade, following assistant stints at Franklin Regional and under Latrobe’s Pat Murray in 2006 and 2007.

Since then, he said, “Offenses have evolved. People have started to spread the ball out a lot.”

Recently, Prady has been coaching Penn-Trafford’s linebackers, but he was an offensive line coach at Franklin Regional.

“I’ve been fortunate to coach on both sides of the football,” he said. “You learn the whole game that way.”

Prady started his teaching and coaching careers with a brief stay in the San Diego area. Then he coached at several schools in Virginia, serving as head football coach at Caroline High School in 2001-04.