A Visit with former WPIAL champions Dave Opfar & Darnell Richardson


Background Info: Dave Opfar and Darnell Richardson were members of South Allegheny's only WPIAL championship, in any sport. Opfar played tight end and defensive end for the Gladiators, who won the 1977 WPIAL Class 2A football title. Richardson was a running back and defensive back. Both were seniors during the 1977-78 school year. Ken Wunderley, the creator of this web site, graduated from South Allegheny in 1977, but continued to serve as the Gladiators statistician that year.

Dave Opfar's Background Info: Dave Opfar was a three-year starter at South Allegheny and the most highly recruited member of the 1977 championship squad. He accepted a scholarship to play at Penn State University, where he started at defensive tackle for two years. He started for Penn State's national championship team in 1982. Opfar completed his undergraduate degree in 1983. From there, it was on to the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League where he played for league championship teams in 1984 and 1985. Following his USFL career, Opfar worked briefly as a counselor at a correctional facility for youths before signing a free agent contract with the Steelers in 1986. He started three games for Pittsburgh during the National Football League players' strike that year. At the conclusion of his season with the Steelers, Opfar played three years in the Arena Football League. After assistant coaching stints at Duquesne High School, Duquesne University, Penn State and Washington & Jefferson, Opfar was hired as head coach at Saint Francis University in 2001. After eight seasons at St. Francis, he returned to Duquesne University and has served as defensive coordinator for head coach Jerry Schmitt for nine years.

Darnell Richardson's Background Info: Darnell Richardson was a two-year starter at South Allegheny and named WPIAL Class 2A Player of the Year in 1977. He then moved on to Marshall University, where he led the Herd in receptions as a junior and senior in 1980 & 1981. He fulfilled his graduation requirements from Marshall in May of 1996. Richardson began his college coaching career at Duquesne University in 1993. He then moved on to West Virginia State, where he served as an assistant coach from 1994-2002. He was the team's offensive coordinator for six seasons. In 2002, he became an assistant at St. Francis University under Opfar, his best friend. In 2010, Richardson returned to Duquesne University and recently completed his ninth season with the Dukes.

Dave Opfar's memories of the 1977 season
"We were a small school, so almost everybody played sports. We didn't think much about championships, especially since South Allegheny had never experienced anything like that before. We played sports, and most of us played more than one sport, because we loved it. I played football, volleyball, basketball, track, and baseball at some time during my high school career. We came into the 1977 season with a lot of confidence after winning the Big Ten Conference the year before. We had a good team coming back and thought we could make a run at the title. I remember reading a preview story in the McKeesport Daily News and they doubted us. That inspired me even more."

Darnell Richardson's memories of the 1977 season
"We won the Big Ten Conference title in Class 3A the previous year and had a lot of the key pieces coming back. We dropped down to Class 2A and knew we had a pretty good team. We won our first five games, then lost to Wilkinsburg midway through the season. The loss was significant because only the conference champions qualified for the WPIAL playoffs. Fortunately, we won the remaining games and qualified for the playoffs."

Dave Opfar's memories of the 1977 championship game
"We were a cocky bunch and thought we would win. The weather was terrible, especially in the second half. We came out from halftime to find the field covered with snow. It was tough to throw the ball, but we played well enough to win the title. That started a successful run of championships for me. I went to Penn State and we played in the national championship game twice. We lost to Alabama in 1982, then won the title in 1982 with a win over Georgia. I also played in the USFL championship game three times and won two titles. I've also won various conference titles as a coach. I have collected ten rings over the years. The biggest of those titles was Penn State's national title in 1982. That was really special."

Darnell Richardson's memories of the 1977 championship game
"We played Laurel in the championship game. We were supposed to play at Pitt Stadium, but the game was moved to Ambridge High School because the date of the Pitt - Penn State game was changed. The weather was terrible and the field conditions deteriorated during the game. I scored one of our two touchdowns in a 12-6 win. It was the win of my career, both playing and coaching. I wish they had the PIAA Tournament at that time. I think we would have done well."