Former West Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon head coach Bob Palko has accepted a job at Penn State, according to Dorin Dickerson of 93.7TheFan.
There is no report of what kind of job Palko will take at Penn State, but that he is accepting one with the program. Palko is one of the most successful coaches in WPIAL history, as he earned a 248-84 record as head coach in his 28 seasons as head coach of both West Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon.
He coached West Allegheny High School for 24 years from 1995-2018, winning eight WPIAL Titles, three PIAA titles and accruing a record of 217-70. Palko also won a state title with his son, Tyler Palko, who also played quarterback for Pitt and in the NFL, in 2001.
Palko then coached four seasons at Mt. Lebanon from 2019-22 and led them to a record of 31-14. He saw the most success in 2021, as Mt. Lebanon won all 15 games, including a 47-7 victory over rival Central Catholic in the WPIAL 6A Title game and then a 35-17 win against powerhouse St. Joe’s Prep in the PIAA 6A Title game.
This gave Mt. Lebanon their first WPIAL Title since 2000 and their first ever State Title. Palko earned the Don Shula National Coach of the Year award for that 2021 season.
Palko, who is 63 years old, announced his retirement in January from coaching to deal with personal and family related matters. His mother died late in 2022 at the age of 96.
He did put his name in for the Pittsburgh Central Catholic job after long time head coach Terry Totten retired in December, but pulled his name out for personal reasons.
