By: Ed Weaver, Circle W Sports
Eight new members are set to be inducted into the District IV Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
This year’s class will be introduced at halftime of Friday’s District IV UPMC All-Star game. Full bios for each inductee will be available in this year’s game program, plus added to this website after the game.
Andy Mills
Andy Mills graduated from Southern Lehigh in 1975, where he lettered in both football and baseball. After graduation, Mills attended West Chester University, graduating in 1979. He taught at Southern Columbia until he retired in 2015 after 36 years.
Mills coached football at Southern Columbia for 45 years, spending 41 of them as the Tigers’ Defensive Coordinator. Alongside current D4 Hall of Fame coach Jim Roth, Mills helped guide the Tigers to 31 District IV titles and 14 PIAA titles in 22 appearances. Mills was also inducted into the Bernie Romanoski Hall of Fame in 2011.
Dave Behrend
Coach Behrend came to Wyalusing in 1962 from Atwood, Illinois where he played football for Atwood High School. Following high school, he enlisted in the Army where he continued to play football and was selected to play noseguard in the Trooper Bowl.
Coach Behrend spent 45 years on the sidelines for Wyalusing, coaching in over 500 games. Coach Behrend helped guide the Rams to 14 Northern Tier League championships, two District IV championships, and two Eastern Conference championships. He also served for a long term as a successful track & field coach for the Wyalusing Rams.
Dick Purnell
Dick Purnell is a 1954 graduate of Ashland High School, where he was class valedictorian and earned 13 varsity letters in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He went on to attend Susquehanna University and was a four-year letter winner.
Following graduation from Susquehanna, he played quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League for one year. Soon after, he became a mathematics teacher and football coach at the future Shikellamy High School in Sunbury, PA – serving as head coach for 25 years and amassing a 167-94-5 record (.637). He guided his teams to two Eastern Conference (1965, 67), four Eastern Conference Southern Division, and nine Susquehanna Valley Conference Championships. His teams won 37 straight regular-season games between 1964-68. He was also inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Jerry Wolman Chapter, in 1987, then later into the Pennsylvania High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004.
Ed Binkoski
Ed Binkoski graduated from Coal Township High School in 1950 where he played both basketball and football. In his senior year, he received an honorable mention on the Pennsylvania State All-Star Football Squads. He earned an academic scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania and attended the Warton School of Business.
Binkoski was Coal Township’s Head Football Coach from 1961-1964 and continued in the role of Head Coach for six more years at Shamokin Area High School following the jointure of Coal Township High School and Shamokin High School. He retired from coaching after the 1970 season to become the Assistant High School principal at Shamokin.
Coach Binkoski was inducted into the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1981 and also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eastern Conference in 1990. In 2018, he was inducted to the United States Marine Hall of Fame for his involvement in the American Rivalry Series (Shamokin vs. Mount Carmel).
Jim Bergen
Jim Bergan began coaching at Montoursville as an assistant coach from 1975-1986, he then took over the helm from 1987-2010. In his 24 years as head coach, Bergen amassed a 206-76-2 (.725) record and had three undefeated regular seasons (1989-91).
Coach Bergen won six District IV championships, qualified for 19 District IV playoffs and 4 PIAA playoffs, his team made it to the 2004 Eastern finals, and in 1989 they were the Pennsylvania State runners-up. Coach Bergen was an assistant coach for the 1995 Big 33 Football Classic, coached the District IV All-Star game twice (1993, 2001), and was inducted into the West Branch Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the PSFCA Hall of Fame in 2010.
Coach Bergen partnered with District 4 Hall of Fame Coach Russ Manney to form the District IV Football Coaches Association and the annual District IV Coaches Association’s high school football combine each May.
Mike Carson
Coach Carson is a 1970 graduate of Conestoga Valley High School. After graduation, he attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy from 1970-72 then transferred to Millersville University, where he graduated in 1975.
In 1988 Coach Carson moved from Tri-Valley to coach and teach at Line Mountain, taking over as head coach from 1990-96. Coach Carson resigned as head coach following the 1996 season to watch his son, and current Line Mountain head coach, Brandon, play college football. He later came back as head coach from 2009-2011. Overall, Coach Carson’s teams went 128-68-2, and Line Mountain was 86-35 under his leadership. In total, Coach Carson has won nine Tri-Valley Conference championships and has been the Tri-Valley Conference Coach of the Year 10 times.
Coach Carson was one of several District IV coaches who helped develop a foundation for the District 4 Football Coaches Association and District IV Combine.
Miller A. Moyer
Miller A. Moyer graduated from Gettysburg High School in 1941, then served in the U.S. Army from 1943-45. He attended Lycoming College from 1948-49 and graduated from Lock Haven University in 1951 with a B.S. degree in education with majors in English and history.
Moyer took over as head coach of Canton in 1963, where he stayed until 1982, then returned from 1985-1999. During his tenure, the Warriors went 214-121-8 and won 10 Northern Tier League championships.
Moyer won District IV titles in 1987 and 1990 and they were runners up in 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1997. In 1990 Canton reached the Eastern Finals falling to eventual Class A state champion Marian Catholic. He was named NTL Coach of the Year six times and the PSFCA Class A Coach of the Year in 1988.
Tom Gravish
Coach Gravish has been coaching high school football for 34 years with 173 career wins, 107 of them during his tenure at Jersey Shore. Currently, Coach Gravish will be entering his 13th season as Head Football Coach at Jersey Shore, having led the Bulldogs to 7 District IV 4A Championships during his tenure.
His teams at Jersey Shore have achieved 5 undefeated regular seasons, three consecutive trips to the PIAA Final Four, and a trip to the PIAA State Championship Game in 2020. Earlier this summer, Coach Gravish led Team PA to a 31-7 victory over Maryland in the 67th Annual Big 33 Football Classic.
Coach Gravish was also the 2021 President of the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA).
