Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

 
When Paul Failla was born, his father put a baseball in his bassinet. Eventually, a baseball and football became Paul’s favorite toys – and a diamond and a gridiron became his playgrounds. Failla went on to become a two-sport star at North Allegheny, was the Post-Gazette Athlete of the Year in 1991, and also played both sports in college. At North Allegheny in football, Failla was a quarterback who threw for 2,576 yards in a run-happy offense, rushed for 844 yards and won WPIAL and PIAA titles as a senior. In baseball, he was a top shortstop who was a three-year starter and hit .435 as a senior as well as being named Pennsylvania Player of the Year. He won two WPIAL baseball titles, and in his final two years at North Allegheny, the Tigers were 64-11-2 in football and baseball. Failla had a scholarship to Notre Dame, where he was both a football quarterback and a baseball shortstop for the Fighting Irish. He was taken by the California Angels in the third round of the 1994 Major League Baseball, and spent four years in the minors before going to IUP to play one year as the team’s quarterback. He also played quarterback in the Arena League and the XFL.