PITTSBURGH — Football and family just seem to go hand-in-hand, and at Pittsburgh Central Catholic, that connection runs deep with a father and son sharing the sidelines.
Ryan Reitz is the team’s offensive coordinator, while his father, Ray Reitz, serves as defensive backs coach.
Ray has been present in the WPIAL for decades, starting at Ellwood City in the 80s. He also coached the Terrelle Pryor-led Jeannette Jayhawks to two WPIAL titles and a PIAA championship.
“This is a good life because you’re helping kids,” Ray said. “It’s nice to see a kid you have as a freshman progress to a senior and help them get into school. You want to win all the games, but it’s nice to see the kids become successful in life.”
After growing up on the sidelines, Ryan was inspired early to start coaching.
“(Ray) was coaching since I can always remember,” Ryan said. “I never watched the game from the bleachers. I was the manager, then I was the ball boy when I got old enough, then I ended up playing for him.”
Ryan says being the coach’s kid didn’t come with shortcuts.
“If you weren’t doing stuff right at practice, you heard about it outside of practice,” he said. “But no, I wouldn’t trade that.”
Central Catholic is Ray and Ryan’s third stop as coaches together. It started in 2009 at Latrobe, followed by a stop in Hempfield.
“Just getting to spend time with him in an environment we both love, helping kids, celebrate things together, the wins, learn from losses together, I think that’s what’s special for me, and I’ll always cherish that,” Ryan said.
The pair say they have different coaching styles that are a product of different eras of football, but they have also learned a lot from each other because of that.
For example, Ray credits his son with teaching him about the spread offense, while Ryan Reitz says he’s always asking his dad about organizing practices.
The road hasn’t always been easy through Ray’s health challenges, including Leukemia in 2018. He dropped to 155 pounds but never stopped coaching.
“I think because I had the background of football, it gave the idea of fighting,” Ray said. “God was good to me, and things worked out. I went into remission.”
Ryan recalls the difficult journey as his dad fought.
“There were numerous opportunities where it would have been easier to give up, and I remember we would talk about, ‘you always said about fighting, you always said never give up.’”
Through the highs and lows on and off the field, the Reitz coaching legacy is built on far more than X’s and O’s.
“When you coach, the guys you coach with are like your brother, you know what I mean? To have your son there, it was just special,” Ray said. “I’m fortunate because I was lucky to have him, to coach with him.”
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