John Petercuskie, Neshaminy's head coach from 1960 to 1965, co-head coach in 1958 and 1959 and then assistant to Harry Franks from 1954 to 1957, passed yesterday. He was loved by his boys back then and right on through to the present as the guys on his teams have stayed very close with each other and coach too.
'Cuskie was part of that crew of great men who were from the "Coal region" of PA (he was from Old Forge) that managed to find their way to Neshaminy during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s (including Franks, Johnny Swartz and Pete Cordelli to name a few). With each of them a football man to the core that group (and others) were instrumental in reshaping the 'Skins from their original "smaller school" status of the '30s and '40s to that of a dominant large school force in Eastern PA and beyond by the time they had finished their work.
During his tenure as an assistant (1954 to 1957) Neshaminy was 33-6-1 and while 'Cuskie was a co-head coach (1958 and 1959) the 'Skins posted an 18-2-1 record. From 1960 through 1965, as the sole head honcho, 'Cuskie's teams were 59-1-5 (the only loss was to Easton, 13-7, with the Dawgs pulling off a Hail Mary pass with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of that 1961 game).
Neshaminy's record during the 1954 through 1965 years 'Cuskie was coaching there was 110-9-7 (and during the last 51 games he coached following the Easton loss his teams went 47-0-4 and created "The Streak").
And taking on everybody they could find the 'Skins played teams like Easton, both Allentown schools, Liberty, Central Dauphin, Muhlenberg, Eddystone, Altoona, Johnson City, NY, Ambler (when they were tearing up the BuxMont), La Salle (when it was pushing the PCL around), Bishop Egan (which by the mid-60s was a PCL topper), Pleasantville and Delaware Township, NJ (both of them NJ mid-state powers back then) along with the locals like Pennridge, Pennsbury, Woodrow Wilson (when it was making noise), etc.
He stayed a fan of the Redskins to the end and the community was his biggest fan too. He'll be missed by the entire Neshaminy family.
'Cuskie was part of that crew of great men who were from the "Coal region" of PA (he was from Old Forge) that managed to find their way to Neshaminy during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s (including Franks, Johnny Swartz and Pete Cordelli to name a few). With each of them a football man to the core that group (and others) were instrumental in reshaping the 'Skins from their original "smaller school" status of the '30s and '40s to that of a dominant large school force in Eastern PA and beyond by the time they had finished their work.
During his tenure as an assistant (1954 to 1957) Neshaminy was 33-6-1 and while 'Cuskie was a co-head coach (1958 and 1959) the 'Skins posted an 18-2-1 record. From 1960 through 1965, as the sole head honcho, 'Cuskie's teams were 59-1-5 (the only loss was to Easton, 13-7, with the Dawgs pulling off a Hail Mary pass with just minutes remaining in the fourth quarter of that 1961 game).
Neshaminy's record during the 1954 through 1965 years 'Cuskie was coaching there was 110-9-7 (and during the last 51 games he coached following the Easton loss his teams went 47-0-4 and created "The Streak").
And taking on everybody they could find the 'Skins played teams like Easton, both Allentown schools, Liberty, Central Dauphin, Muhlenberg, Eddystone, Altoona, Johnson City, NY, Ambler (when they were tearing up the BuxMont), La Salle (when it was pushing the PCL around), Bishop Egan (which by the mid-60s was a PCL topper), Pleasantville and Delaware Township, NJ (both of them NJ mid-state powers back then) along with the locals like Pennridge, Pennsbury, Woodrow Wilson (when it was making noise), etc.
He stayed a fan of the Redskins to the end and the community was his biggest fan too. He'll be missed by the entire Neshaminy family.
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