Upper St. Clair Names Mike Junko New Head Football Coach

UPPER ST. CLAIR, PA - Upper St. Clair didn’t take long to replace legendary football coach Jim Render. Less than two weeks after the winningest coach in WPIAL history announced his retirement, school directors appointed Mike Junko to succeed him.

Junko, a social studies teacher, spent the last two seasons as an assistant under Render.

“I am both honored and humbled to be named the next head football coach at Upper St. Clair,” Junko said via Twitter. “I look forward to honoring our program’s proud tradition as well as leading our players into a new and exciting future.

“To all the young men that choose to join me on this journey, I make you the promise that your life will be forever changed by the lessons that only discipline, commitment and family can provide. Upper St. Clair is a special community and I look forward to leading our football program in this place that I am proud to call home.”

Junko is a 1992 graduate of Upper St. Clair and played on the football and baseball teams. He graduated from the University of Akron in 1997 with a degree in political science. He was a teacher and football coach in the Mt. Lebanon School District from 2007 until 2017.

Junko has large shoes to fill. Render spent 40 seasons at Upper St. Clair. He is the lone WPIAL coach to notch 400 wins, something only 29 other high school football coaches in America have accomplished.

Photo via Upper St. Clair School District.

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