Dick Diebert
Class of 2014
Richard "Dick" Deibert, son of the late Carl and Ruth Deibert, graduated from Bedford High School in 1955 earning three letters each in football and basketball. Because Dick was bigger and stronger than most of the players, Robert "Smoke" Andrews, who was Dick's line coach at Bedford, gave him the nickname "Bear", because on defense he would grab several people in the backfield hoping he had the ball carrier.
Along with his big hits, blocking and tackling, Dick will be
remembered for his bombing kick-offs that usually went into and through the end zone. 
In basketball at Bedford, Dick said that he thought that he was the leading rebounder and scorer on the team until Bedford County Sports  Hall of Famer Dan Kerr came along his senior year. Dick recalled that he had trouble finishing games because of fouls. Coach Andrews said that he would come off the floor and say, "Coach, I never touched him".
Meanwhile, the game was delayed until the trainer could get the player who was not touched off the floor.
Upon graduating from Bedford, Deibert enrolled at Lock Haven State College. After the third game as a freshman, Dick became a starter on both offense and defense for all four years. He  also kicked-off for all four years. Dick recalls that they had a holder which gave them options on the kickoffs: kick it deep, pop it up to an opening, or kick it on the ground. The holder would make the call where to kick the ball and they had great success with that.
Deibert was noted as a key player  for his outstanding blocking on Lock Haven's  undefeated season in 1957. He was named Little All-American Honorable Mention by NAIA in 1959. Dick was also a three-year member of the Lock Haven swim team.
After graduation from Lock Haven, Deibert returned to Bedford High School to teach and coach football and basketball. He was co-director of the Bedford Area Recreation Program and the midget football program. He helped run a gymnastic program as an entertainment program that raised $75,000 for the purchase of equipment for the physical education program. He took three individuals to the state gymnastic tournament.
In 1966 Deibert moved to Lancaster County to teach and coach at Hempfield High School. At Hempfield he was the line coach in football 1966-88 and coached wrestling for 25 years. Dick retired from teaching in 1993.
Dick has always been interested in the outdoors as he returns to Bedford to deer hunt with the Lower Snake Spring Valley gang each year. He has been a hunter-trapper safety instructor for 51 years and has taught one to three classes per year with 20-30 students in each class. He has set up and administrated a pheasant hunt for 20 kids, ages 12-15, for the last 15 years. He has been the trout stocking co-ordinator for northern Lancaster County for 18 years.
One of the highlights of Dick's athletic career took place on May 21, 2012, when he was inducted into the Lock Haven University's Football Hall of Fame. This was the second class of ten individuals inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Dick and wife Bonnie live in Landisville, Lancaster County. They are the parents of a son and a daughter and have seven grandchildren.


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Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Class of 2014

Bedford County Sports
Hall of Fame

Class of 2014