“The entire Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneer football family is saddened to hear of the passing of coach Rich Ingold. Coach Ingold and his Pioneers teams delivered much happiness and community pride to the entire NEPA area. His Pioneers reflected his intensity and aggressive style of football leading them to the playoffs all four years, along with three divisional and two conference championships. I am proud to call him coach and friend,” Cosmo DeNicola
The Following is taken from Citizens' Voice article "Former Pioneers coach Rich Ingold dies" by Steve Bennett
Rich Ingold had a passion for football and he was not afraid to let that passion show. Whether it was playing quarterback at Indiana University of Pennsylvania or coaching, Ingold let his emotions flow.But he never let them get the best of him. He told it like it was, whether it was before a game, during a game or after one.If a player didn’t do the job, Ingold was not afraid to let the player know. He also wasn’t afraid to bring somebody in who he thought could do it better. All with designs on winning. Those personality traits made him a coach everyone wanted to play for. That, and the fact that Ingold produced a winner nearly every step of the way.
Ingold, the former head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers of the af2, died Wednesday. He was 53. The cause of death is unknown.
The Pioneers played their first season in the af2 in 2002 and folded following the 2009 season.Along the way, particularly when Ingold was in charge, the Pioneers were among the best teams in the league.
“The entire Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneer football family is saddened to hear of the passing of coach Rich Ingold,” former team owner Cosmo DeNicola said in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire family. Coach Ingold and his Pioneers teams delivered much happiness and community pride to the entire NEPA area. His Pioneers reflected his intensity and aggressive style of football leading them to the playoffs all four years, along with three divisional and two conference championships. I am proud to call him coach and friend.”
Ingold, who was born in Pittsburgh, became the head coach of the Pioneers in 2006 and was with the organization until 2009. He led the team to a pair of ArenaCup championship games, losing to Tulsa in 2007 and Spokane in 2009. During his tenure, the Pioneers were 50-14 in the regular season and 7-4 in the postseason. In 2007 Ingold missed a portion of training camp as he battled throat cancer, but returned in time to get back on the field. He finished his coaching career with an overall record of 92-38 and was part of the inaugural class inducted into the af2’s hall of fame. In 2009, the league announced Ingold was chosen as its top head coach of all-time.
“He was an awesome coach, lived and loved to win,” said former Pioneers quarterback Ryan Vena. “That’s all we talked about — winning. He was one of a kind. Fiery, crazy, tough but would go to war for his players. I loved playing for him, and I’m proud to have played for him. He will be missed. Not just by me, but by a lot of people, players and owners.”
Ingold, always looking to bring in highly talented quarterbacks in the passer friendly af2, had former Penn State quarterback Zack Mills in camp for a few weeks in 2007. In 2008 Ingold brought former Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford to training camp. He had previously spent time on the practice squad with the Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers. But no matter what quarterback Ingold brought into camp, they could not take the job from Vena, who played for the team from 2007-09, and was not only the best quarterback in the history of the franchise, but one of the best to ever play in af2. Ingold played football at Seton-LaSalle and led his team to two WPIAL Class 2A championships.
Following high school, Ingold attended South Carolina for one year before transferring to Indiana University of Pennsylvania. At IUP, he threw for 6,454 yards and more than 40 touchdowns.Ingold made his arena debut as quarterback of the Washington Commandos in 1987. In 1988, he led the Detroit Drive to a win in ArenaBowl II.Ingold joined the coaching ranks in 1989 and served as offensive coordinator of the AFL’s Pittsburgh Gladiators in 1989. He was head coach of the Quad City Steamwheelers of the af2 from 2002-04 and offensive coordinator of the Dallas Desperados of the AFL in 2005.Following his time in Wilkes-Barre, Ingold spent one season as head coach of the Dallas Vigilantes of the AFL.
http://citizensvoice.com/sports/former-pioneers-coach-rich-ingold-dies-1.2155498
