WWII Vet Turns to Education+Gridiron and Becomes Legend
Bob "Bear" Connell was born November 6, 1924 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of George and Dorothy
Connell. He died March 13, 1988 while living in Portville.
Connell graduated from Saugus High School in 1943 and was selected as an all-state football player.
After graduation he served in World War II, becoming a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps.
He graduated from Columbia University in 1951and was a football player in the Ivy League with Princeton,
Yale, Harvard, Cornell, and other original gridiron schools.
"Bob was bitten by the sport forever after competing at that level," notes his wife, Bemmie, who still lives
near Portville Central School. On Nov. 11, 1945 in Beaver, PA, Bob married the former Miss Merrick.
Their children (Pam, Mike, Mark, LuLu, Boomer) live across the country.
From 1950-59, Bear was a territorial manager for BF Goodrich. The Connell family moved to Portville
and took up residence on School Street in 1955. Bear also worked for Texaco out of Olean for one year.
In 1960 at the age of 36, Bob Connell made a career change and began teaching European history at PCS
in 1960. He also began coaching JV basketball (1960-65) under Dennis Dorman and football (1960-62) under Jim Steinbacher.
He took over the gridiron varsity in 1963.
Bob was an innovator as a coach, and by 1965, he recruited 70 players who went undefeated in the Border
League, which he helped initiate. Upwards of 90 boys would regularly sign up during the late 60s and 70s, offering Connell
an opportunity to mold them into men.
He incorporated 8mm film, the use of local media outlets, cutting-edge techniques on the field, and detailed
discipline, earning the respect of the football community and beyond. From 1963-78, he worked as a weekend disc jockey
for WMNS in Olean.
Connell also created the present-day Sports Boosters Club, that raised over $50,000 for all athletics
during his tenure - jerseys, equipment, scoreboards, balls, and numerous other additions to Portville sports. His
personal interests included collecting classical music and playing golf.
The Bear served as head football coach for 17 years and is Portville's all-time winningest mentor at 90-45-5.
Due to diabetes and heart disease, Connell stepped down as head coach after the 79 campaign, but continued to assist until
1986.
Bear was member of the Portville Masonic Lodge #579 and the president of the Portville Country Club.
He was a pioneer of the Spring Hill Dairy Coffee Club with other local folks. Professionally, Connell was a member of
the NYS Council of Social Studies and the NYS High School Athletic Association.
Connell taught history until retirement in 1986, mesmerizing sophomores with tales of the Renaissance and
Ancient Greece. He was well-known for his discipline, inheriting that PCS role from Bud Fenton, who took the torch from
Red Miner.
Starting in 1975, Bob was a supervisor and counselor for the Cattaraugus County Summer Youth Corps in Olean.
One of the highlights of the Bear's professional career occurred in 1975, when his gridiron squad went 9-0
and won the Border Conference. The dominating team earned many awards, and Connell was selected by the Olean Times Herald
as the Big 30 "Coach of the Year". He continued as an assistant coach under Kevin Curran until his death in 1986.
