By Kyle Oland
 
In the words of Timothy Thyreen, president of Waynesburg University, John Wiley exemplified what it meant to be a Waynesburg man. He was the type of man the original founders of Waynesburg University in 1849 envisioned its students becoming upon graduation.
 
“There was no compromise in his integrity,” said Thyreen. “He was just a rock and steady, and yet he was a gracious gentleman. He would do what was right regardless of the consequences.”
 
Wiley, the late football coach who holds the highest career winning percentage in Waynesburg history, passed away on Monday, March 25, at the age of 92.
 
Born in Greene County, Pa., Wiley went on to attend Waynesburg College where he played football. During his time on the Yellow Jacket football team, Wiley played in the first-ever televised football game against Fordham University in 1939. That same season, Wiley earned Little All-American Football honors.
 
Following his playing career at Waynesburg, Wiley played five seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1946-50. After retiring from professional football, Wiley was contacted by then-president Dr. Paul R. Stewart and asked to return to his alma mater to become the 10th football coach in program history. Alan Wiley, the youngest of the late coach's sons, remembers his father's feelings of being able to return to the school where the Wileys had a rich history of football.
 
“Dad's uncle, Asa Wiley, coached at Waynesburg before he and all of his brothers played football at Waynesburg,” said Alan Wiley. “He was very excited to come back home and work at the University where all of his brothers and sisters attended. It was probably the greatest thing in his life at the time when he came back to Greene County.”
 
As Waynesburg's head coach from 1951-54, Wiley instilled in his players the same values by which he lived his life.
 
“He was more interested in the kids' development in academics,” said Thyreen. “All of his thoughts were on doing what was right; he had a profound sense of rightness.”
 
While Wiley encouraged his players to express values such as integrity and hard work, he also produced some of the best teams in Waynesburg football history. During his tenure, Wiley's teams regularly faced off against bigger schools such as West Virginia University. Despite the tough competition, Wiley still holds the record for career winning percentage (.710), compiling a 22-9-1 career record. He was also the first Waynesburg coach to defeat nearby rival Washington & Jefferson, and is still one of only three coaches to accomplish the feat.
 
In 1995, the late Yellow Jacket coach was forever immortalized on Waynesburg's campus when his moniker was used in the naming of John F. Wiley Stadium.
 
Along with coaching for Waynesburg, Wiley also served as a linemen coach for the University of Pittsburgh when John Michelosen, Wiley's coach when he played for the Steelers, asked him to join his coaching staff at Pitt. He was inducted into the Washington-Greene County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
 
During his later years, Wiley was asked to join the Waynesburg University Board of Trustees.  He also received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University. Thyreen, whose leadership has transformed  Waynesburg University over the last two decades, said that without Wiley, Waynesburg's return to its original mission of 1849 would not have been possible.
 
“When he was on the board, nobody challenged him because he was respected,” said Thyreen. “When people would want to put the brakes on [Waynesburg's] transformation, he simply said no. He would say, 'This is who we are and what we are – we are going back to 1849.'”
 
While John Wiley no longer has a direct impact on the direction of Waynesburg University, his memory and leadership will be forever remembered with his character traits eternally represented by the University he once called home.
 
 “He was one of the most important people in the development of Waynesburg University over the last century,” said Thyreen. “Without John Wiley, Waynesburg University would not be where it is today.”