Denny Cowher

Denny Cowher made a strong athletic career both on the field as a player and making the calls as a coach.

   He was a three-sport athlete at Greenfield-Kimmel High School, lettering in baseball for four years and basketball and football for three years each when he graduated in 1963.

   In football, he was the captain of the team his senior year and led the team to the only undefeated squad in school history. He led Bedford County in scoring with 127 points and was a Big 33 Honorable Mention. Cowher was also a member of the Bedford County All-Star Team.

   As a basketball player, he averaged 20 points a game as a senior captain of the team, including shooting 85 percent from the free throw line. He was a Juniata Valley League All-Star.

   Cowher was a catcher on the baseball team and helped lead the team to the Blair County Baseball League Championship in 1963. He turned down an offer to sign with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Duke University to go to Juniata College, where he could play both baseball and football.

   At Juniata, he earned the starting halfback job by the third game of his freshman year, but he tore an ACL in practice that week, which essentially ended his football career. He did come back and punted for the Indians for the rest of his freshman year and scored one touchdown.

   He did stick with baseball and was a four-year letterwinner at catcher. He was the conference and league all-star at catcher his senior year, and he earned the Outstanding Baseball Player Award.

   He played some semi-pro baseball in the Basin League in South Dakota in1965 and in the Newfoundland Summer League in 1964.

   Cowher got drafted after his senior year, but not by a baseball team. The military drafted him, but Cowher’s knee kept him out of military.

   He did keep playing baseball in the Altoona City League and in the Penn-Mar League from 1967 through 1984. He won the batting title and MVP award in the City League in 1973, while in the Penn-Mar League, he received a special achievement award for hitting four home runs in one playoff game.

   Cowher found a new niche in coaching. He coached the Claysburg team in Altoona City League to several regular season and playoff titles.

   He also coached both the freshman football and baseball teams at Spring Cove School District. His football team won over 100 games in 22 years including undefeated teams in 1994 and 1995.

   His freshman baseball teams went 275-35 over 27 years that included a 77-game winning streak.

   Cowher took over the Claysburg American Legion team in 1986 and won 200 games before stepping down in 1996. He won four Turnpike League titles and three playoff titles. His teams also won regional titles in 1989 and 1991, including a great run  in the 1991 season that ended with the Claysburg team finishing third in the state.

   He was later inducted into the Pennsylvania American Legion Hall of Fame in 1998.

   Currently, he enjoys golfing and watching Claysburg sports.



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Class of 2011
Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame
Bedford County, Pennsylvania
Class of 2011
Class of 2011

Bedford County Sports
Hall of Fame