Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

Category: Coach | School: Upper St. Clair | Sport: Tennis

A 1962 graduate of Charleroi, Rich Saccani served as the architect of the Upper St. Clair boys’ tennis program, building it from scratch to one of the most successful in WPIAL history. At his first practice in 1968, Saccani asked his student-athletes if they had any experience in the sport, and one said “a little in our driveway” - that team went on to post an 11-2 record, setting the stage for the Panthers’ first section crown a year later. Upper St. Clair went 404-43 in 24 seasons under Saccani’s tutelage, winning nine section titles and six WPIAL team championships in 1971, 1975, 1982, 1984, 1987, and 1990. In singles and doubles competition, Saccani’s student-athletes won two WPIAL and one PIAA singles title, four WPIAL and two PIAA doubles golds, and three WPIAL mixed doubles championships. He received the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Coaches Award in 1975, and in 1980 was named Coach of the Year by the Allegheny Mountain Tennis Association and the USTA Middle States Tennis Association. Saccani, who taught mathematics and engineering at Upper St. Clair from 1966 to 2001, went on to coach his collegiate alma mater, California University of Pennsylvania, from 1990 to 1993. The Vulcans women’s tennis team went 58-4 during those four seasons, winning two Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) titles and one runner-up finish. Saccani was named PSAC Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1993, and guided the 1991 team to the No. 1 national ranking. Saccani retired from California with a 51-game winning streak, which was highlighted as one of the greatest moments in PSAC history during the conference’s 50th anniversary celebration in 2001. Saccani built a tradition with Upper St. Clair tennis that didn’t just end on the court, but extended beyond it, as student-athletes knew they represented their families, the school, and the community, and were lauded for their hard work and good sportsmanship.