Monday, Aug. 17, 2015, 10:57 p.m.
Tom Loughran is a creature of habit, one who completes The New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday, carries a rule book in his back pocket on Friday nights and wears a whistle around his neck.
But he retired his famous Spot-Bilt coaching shoes, the pair he won at a Johnny Majors coaching clinic in the mid-1970s and wore every Friday night since he became a head coach in 1983. After winning 186 games and two state championships in 32 seasons at South Park, Loughran is the new football coach at Fox Chapel.
Loughran wore new school colors and an air of optimism Monday, when high school football training camps officially opened across Western Pennsylvania with two-a-day practices in full pads.
“Having pads on for the first time in full gear was exciting for me,” said Loughran, 61, a retired math teacher. “It’s a fresh start.”