Photo credit 1928 Whitehall High School yearbook
Joe Foran (1910-1974) was the head football coach at Palmerton High School for the 1950, 1951 and 1952 seasons. He also taught mathematics and physical education at several schools in a teaching career that spanned 38 years from 1934 to 1972.
Growing up in Cementon, PA, he was the son of Primo Fornaciari and Mary née Catellani. In 1942, Joe legally changed his last name from “Fornaciari” to “Foran.”
He was a 1928 graduate of Whitehall High School, then located in Hokendauqua, PA. At Whitehall, he played basketball and baseball – football was still not offered at Whitehall HS in the 1920s – and he was class president of the graduating senior class.
He graduated from East Stroudsburg State Teachers College (now East Stroudsburg University) in May 1932 with a B.S. In health education. At East Stroudsburg, he “participated in a freshman campaign of football, baseball and basketball. That season as a frosh gridder proved to be Joe’s final appearance as a player (sic). In the summer months he sustained two broken ankles when he fell from a beam while employed as a painter at the Bath Cement Co.” But he did continue to participate “in three years of baseball, basketball, and soccer” at East Stroudsburg. (The Morning Call, 7 October 1951)
He then continued his education and graduated with a master’s degree in physical education from Penn State.
By 1937 he was teaching physical education and mathematics at Whitehall High School in Hokendauqua.
At Whitehall, he was the head football coach for the 1938 – 1941 seasons where he achieved an overall record of 8-26-3 (2-7, 2-8, 3-4-2, 1-7-1).
During World War II, Foran served from 1942 to March 1946 as a physical training instructor for the army air force.
After the war, Foran returned to Whitehall High School and finished out the academic year there in 1946. In August 1946, he was hired as a mathematics teacher at Somerville H.S. in Somerville, NJ. He was also an assistant coach for football and baseball. He resigned that position in Spring 1947.
In October 1947, Foran was hired to teach math at Palmerton High School. In the following years, he was also the assistant football coach and the basketball junior varsity coach.
Then, just as the 1950 football season was getting underway, John C. Young, Palmerton’s head football coach, was called into active military duty. Foran took over as head coach, and he coached Palmerton for three years with an overall record of 15-11-1.
Palmerton coach, 1950 season, 4-6
Palmerton coach, 1951 season, 8-0, Lehigh Valley League champions
Palmerton coach, 1952 season, 3-5-1
1951 Palmerton High School football, left to right, assistant coaches Clete Hollywood, Oscar Blynn and head coach Joe Foran;
photo credit 1952 Palmerton High School yearbook
His most important season was the 1951 championship season for Palmerton. Part of the success that year was the introduction of the T formation (and the short punt formation) instead of the long punt formation. The long punt formation was just what the name implies, a formation from which the team could run a play or punt. It was common in the 1940s when kicking on a second or third down was not unusual. The t-formation featured a quarterback under center with three running backs lined up behind the QB in a t alignment. Clearly, it worked for Palmerton that year as the Blue Bombers had several talented running backs and a talented quarterback.
Palmerton opened the 1951 football season with a resounding victory, 36 to 12, over Whitehall in Palmerton, “Palmerton’s Blue Bombers Score Big 36 to 12 Win over Whitehall’s Zephyrs.”
“The debut of Coach Joe Foran at the helm for the first full season of the Palmerton High School Blue Bombers and his introduction of the T formation was launched with thundering success yesterday afternoon as the Blue and White trounced Whitehall High 36 – 12 at Palmerton.”
“It was the Blue Bombers highest scoring inaugural on record.” (The Morning Call, 23 September 1951)
Palmerton Coach Joe Foran is hoisted on the shoulders of his undefeated team following the victory over Slatington on Thanksgiving Day, 1951;
photo credit The Morning Call, 23 November 1951
After the 1951 high school basketball season, Palmerton’s head coach, Bill Wilhelm, resigned. Foran served as head basketball coach for the 1951-1952 season, compiling a record of 12-9.
Foran resigned as Palmerton’s football coach in December 1952, and he was succeeded by Frank Luchnik.
Through the 1950s, Foran was active in North Whitehall politics, serving for years on the district school board and the township authority.
In September 1960, he left Palmerton for Cheltenham High School in Montgomery County outside of Philadelphia.
Through the 1960s, he taught at several different school in Bethlehem and also again at Palmerton from 1967 to 1969 before retiring. He was also active as a real estate broker.
Foran died in July 1974 at the age of 63. He had never married.
"Palmerton had its first undefeated and untied football team in the school’s history while Foran was coach.” (The Morning Call, 31 July 1974)