Tom Flaherty
Tom Flaherty was a superb Sharon High athlete who went on to a long and illustrious college coaching career.
At Sharon he played football and basketball before graduating in 1965. In football he was WPIAL AA Honorable Mention and Big 33 Honorable Mention. He made second-team All-Midwestern Athletic Conference and at wide receiver set school records for receptions in a game (8) and season (33).
In basketball, he was Honorable Mention all-MAC.
He earned a scholarship in football to Akron University and was a four-year letterman at tight end and wide receiver. His senior year in 1968, he helped the Zips gain a bid to play in the Grantland Rice Bowl against Louisiana Tech and their quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
He helped produce many top performers through his role as an assistant coach for 31 years. He was an assistant for 14 years at Akron U., and tutored three first-team All-Americans and nine honorable mention All-Americans.
As offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 1976, he helped spark the Zips to NCAA Division II National Runner-up honors.
He served as an assistant in the NAIA program at Walsh University for 15 years.
He was named "Assistant Coach of the Year" in 2001 by the Mideast League-Mid States Football Association when the team won the league title. As offensive line coach, he helped push the Cavs to the NAIA national playoffs.
In his youth he was an outstanding baseball player, in Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion play.
Besides his long college career, he served 10 years as a CYO coach in football and baseball.