Mr. Charles “Chuck” Mehelich served the students of Cheltenham High as a Driver Education instructor and coach for 28 years from 1956 to 1984. Prior, he played six seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1946-1951.

According to local historian Chuck Langerman, unlike today’s NFL players who play either offense or defense, Mr. Mehelich was a two-way end who rarely came out of the game. Art Rooney, the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, called him “the toughest football player he ever saw.” He was known as the “Ironman” on the field, and off the field he was known as a gentle giant.

At Cheltenham High, Mr. Mehelich coached baseball in the 1950s and 1960s. Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson played for him from 1962-1964. Mr. Mehelich was inducted into the Duquesne University’s Hall of Fame in 1976 and posthumously into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

 
The Cheltenham High School community lost a beloved teacher and former coach when Mr. Charles “Chuck” Mehelich passed away from cancer at Abington Hospital on December 2, 1984.

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