Hall of Fame
Edward J. Olkowski (1953) lettered in basketball and was a member of the baseball team at The Rock.
Following graduation and a stint in the Army during the Korean Conflict, Olkowski compiled an impressive 323-96 won-lost record in 16 seasons (1968-84) as head boys basketball coach at Midland High School.
His teams won four of five PIAA state championship games in which they appeared, as well as nine Section and seven Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championships.
Under his guidance, Midland played in nine PIAA and 13 WPIAL tournaments.
In honor of his coaching success, Olkowski received the Distinguished Coaching Award in both 1972-73 and 1973-74, as well as numerous "Coach of the Year" awards from various newspapers and organizations.
Olkowski was inducted into the Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Western Pennsylvania Chapter Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
While a student at The Rock, Olkowski was a member of the Gamma Theta Upsilon Society (National Geographic Society). He later taught science classes at Midland and Beaver high schools from 1956-91.
Olkowski is a native of Beaver Falls and 1948 graduate of Beaver Falls High School. After graduating from Slippery Rock, he did graduate work at both Pittsburgh and Geneva.
