They're older now, some 40 years removed from their days as the Red Raiders of the Charleroi Midget Football League. But even time hasn't diminished the love and respect these men, no longer boys, have for the man they fondly call "Coach."

That was evident and emphasized as Tom Joswick returned to Charleroi for a reunion with his former players. It was an informal gathering but one filled with deep emotions.

"I can't tell you what this means to me," Joswick, who now lives in Lower Burrell, told the group sharing a buffet dinner at the Belgian Club in Charleroi. "This is one of the greatest things that has happened in my life. I think of you often. I look at the team pictures, and I get tears in my eyes. You did so much more for me than I ever did for you, and I will always be grateful to you, not only for today, but for every day I was blessed by your presence."

The reunion was coordinated by Tim "T.K." Karlowsky and Mark Quinn, both of Charleroi, in conjunction with Joswick's son, Mark Joswick, an elementary school principal in the Prince William County Public Schools in Virginia.

"T.K. called me in early March saying he was interested in organizing an event to bring Coach Joswick and his players together again," Mark Joswick said. "I was deeply grateful to him for the idea, and I knew my father would be delighted."

The reunion was initially set for May 27, but Tom Joswick was too weak from chemotherapy treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"I feel fine now," Tom Joswick said before the formal program began at the Belgian Club. "The cancer is in remission. It was tough going for a while. Those (chemotherapy) treatments take a lot out of you, but I was determined to beat this thing. I was blessed with the best medical care and a loving and supportive family, and I went into the battle with a positive attitude. Of course, the man up there had a lot to do with it, too."

As he spoke of divine intervention in his fight against the cancer which struck him in February, Joswick traded stories about the good old days with his former players. And while he greeted them by their first names, not one called him anything but "Mr. Joswick" or "Coach Joswick."

"He's such a special man," Mark Quinn said with a broad smile on his face. "We had so much fun being on his team. He didn't take himself too seriously, but he was serious about working with us. His main focus was to allow us to enjoy the game of football. Beyond that, and perhaps more important, he was like a second father to us. He was always there for us, on and off the playing field. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed visiting at his home and just listening to him talk about life."

Quinn, 48, began playing for the Red Raiders, who originally were called the Maroon Marauders, in 1966. A 1977 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, where he earned All-Big 10 Conference honors as a defensive back, Quinn's passion for Joswick and his Charleroi Midget Football League teammates is embellished by special street signs he had made. They read Entering Red Raider Country, and two of them, posted at Sixth and Meadow and near Eighth and Meadow, helped guide visitors to the Belgian Club.

"It's kind of funny because people keep asking me who the Red Raiders are," said Quinn, a private contractor. "I've heard the reminders that Red Raiders is the nickname of sports teams at Uniontown High School. But our Red Raiders are something special to us."

Quinn even sent one of those signs to Tom Joswick several months ago.

"I wanted him to know what he means to us, and that we're always thinking of him," Quinn said.

Quinn, according to Joswick, was the former coach's "eyes and ears" for what was taking place in his former hometown.

"Mark called me several times during my chemotherapy," Joswick said. "He wanted updates on my condition, and he kept me posted on what was going on with the rest of the boys. He said they were very concerned about me, and that really lifted my spirits."

Quinn shared the credit with Karlowsky.

"T.K. really got the word out to the rest of the guys," Quinn said. "We were trying to reach out to as many people as we could, even those who didn't play for the Red Raiders. T.K. did a marvelous job."

"I can't think of anyone who deserves this recognition more than Mr. Joswick," said Karlowsky, a 1974 graduate of Charleroi Area High School. "He meant a lot to all of us. He treated everyone equally, and the things he taught us as football players have carried over into our lives. He taught us to be honest and hardworking people."

Karlowsky, who played wide receiver and fullback for the Red Raiders, said his respect for Joswick has deepened over the years.

"Some of us haven't seen him in 35 or 40 years, but he has never left our thoughts," Karlowsky said. "And when you remember that he gave up his spare time to coach a bunch of young guys, you understand that he must have loved doing it. This (the reunion) is just our way of telling him thanks and how much we appreciate everything he did."

That was a general consensus among those at the Belgian Club.

"I played two years for Mr. Joswick and two years for Mr. (Carl) Witmyer," said Jim Ross, who drove from his home near Philadelphia for the event. "What a great guy he (Joswick) was, and still is. I wouldn't have missed this for anything."

Ross, a 1975 Charleroi Area graduate who earned a degree in finance from the University of Pittsburgh, is now retired. A Pitt football season ticket holder who returns for the Panthers' home games, Ross and the others enjoyed a 1969 post-practice photo of the Red Raiders circulated by Doug Gorecki.

"Look at those (practice) uniforms," Ross said amidst a chorus of laughter from his teammates. "We look like the Our Gang kids from the old movies. All we needed that day was a white dog with a small black patch around his eye."

Gorecki, a 1976 CAHS graduate, eagerly awaited his opportunity to play for Joswick and the Red Raiders for three years.

"I grew up across the street from the Joswick family, so I knew going into organized sports for the first time that I would be playing for a quality man," said Gorecki, manager of the state Wine and Spirits Shop in Charleroi. "In those days we thought all football coaches were like Vince Lombardi. But Mr. J. was the exception. He was a very fair man and made certain that everyone played in every game. He made you feel good, that you weren't wasting your time at practice and that you were contributing to the team. He never raised his voice or screamed but always encouraged us to do better. He taught the fundamentals of the game, but sportsmanship was important too."

Gorecki, who celebrated his 48th birthday the same day as the reunion and who holds a degree in journalism from Duquesne University, added to the celebration with telephone calls to his brother, Joe Gorecki, and longtime friend Steve Babich, who lives in Florida.

"Joe and Steve were delighted to talk with Coach Joswick again," he said.

Tom Villella, of Carroll Township, who eventually made his mark as one of the top soccer goalies in this area, also shared old pictures.

"Mr. Joswick was my first coach in football and baseball," said Villella, who runs the remodeling company that carries his family's name. "It was a great experience playing for him, a lot of fun and a lot of learning about sports and life."

Jack Green Jr., another '75 graduate of Charleroi Area High School who now lives in Delmont, thought it was appropriate that Joswick wore a white golf cap to the reunion.

"Coach Joswick was always preaching the white hat concept to us; that is, we were to be good guys no matter what," said Green, who played for the Red Raiders in 1967 and '68. "He insisted that we live by the officials' calls, not complain and move on to the next play. He wanted us to play by the rules, win or lose, and have fun. The basis of his approach to the game was that winning was nice, but it wasn't the only thing."

Green, a standout center throughout his playing career, emphasized that one of his favorite memories involving Joswick was created the day he played his final football game for Lafayette College.

"We were playing Bucknell and it was Parents Day, a great way to end the season," Green said. "My mother and father were there, and they had invited Mr. and Mrs. Joswick. After the game, the players had their parents and guests join them on the field, and I made a point of introducing Mr. Joswick to my college coaches. It was a special moment being in the presence of my first coach and my last coaches. And I wanted Mr. Joswick to share in that and understand that the fruits of his efforts had paid off for me."

Green, a mechanical engineer at the Homer City Power Plant, now coaches in a youth football program that involves boys in the Franklin Regional School District.

"Coach Joswick always emphasized the values of right over wrong, fairness and sportsmanship," Green said. "I keep all of those things in mind with our kids. That approach, especially when you're working with youngsters, never grows old."

Others who attended the reunion were Mike "Crow" Fiori, Ken "Barney" Sivek, Jerry "Deek" DeiCas, Jack "Twinner" Newstrom, Jim "Twinner" Newstrom and Rick "Brownie" Brown.

Joswick said his basic tenets to coaching evolved from what he had learned earlier in life.

"We wanted the kids to learn the basics of the game, that's for sure," he said. "But I never tried to emphasize winning. There are good lessons to be learned from losing, whether it's in athletics, in the work place or in life. You need to know how to bounce back from adversity. You have to have your priorities in the right place and have fun in doing whatever your assignment might be. Life is way too short to be wrapped up in the wrong things."

Not all of those honoring Joswick at the Belgian Club were former Red Raiders. The CFML also included another Charleroi team, the White Lightnings, as well as the Golden Hurricanes from the Speers-Dunlevy area; the Blue Barons of Fallowfield Township, and the Carroll Bears, who also were known as the Bulldogs.

"I played for the Green Hornets, but Mr. Joswick was someone I admired and looked up to," Rick Stevenson said. "He was like a second father to me, just as he was to so many other guys. He was the opposing coach on the field, but he was a man everyone respected."

Nancy Landrin represented another link to the Green Hornets and the Joswick family.

"I was a cheerleader for the Green Hornets," Landrin said as she proudly displayed a classic coffee mug bearing the logo of that team. "Mr. Joswick's daughter, Nancy Jo, and I were good friends, and I always enjoyed going to their home. Mr. Joswick was so nice to anyone who came to visit. I remember the time Nancy Jo and I received Barbie Doll houses for Christmas and Mr. Joswick put them together for us. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do for anyone. He always had time for you."

Those qualities, and others, were recognized in 1970 when Joswick was honored by American Legion Post 22 of Charleroi as the community's Citizen of the Year. In extending that honor to Joswick, the Legion noted his activities as a youth football, basketball and baseball coach; chairman of the Charleroi Youth Commission; a member and past Exalted Ruler of Charleroi Elks Lodge 494; a Sunday School teacher and active member of St. Mary's Episcopal Church, and a longtime member and former president of the Charleroi Cougar Booster Club.

His affiliation with the booster organization was very meaningful as he worked with men like Norman Wayne, George Humphries and Angelo "Cack" Costantino, to name just a few.

"They were great guys whose sole purpose was to help the kids," Joswick said.

Joswick left Charleroi in 1972 because of a job transfer at West Penn Power Co. Speaking at a Charleroi Rotary Club luncheon in 1986, Joswick told a story about the day he left for his new job at the utility's headquarters in Greensburg.

"I received two attache cases that day, one from fellow Booster Club members and one from four youngsters who I had coached in midget league," he told the Rotarians. "I have been carrying the one from the kids every day. I keep it spotless. I shine it every day."

Although he's been gone for more than 30 years, Charleroi continues to hold a special place in Joswick's heart.

"Wherever I go, I talk about those days in Charleroi," he said. "I am always asked what is the thing that makes Charleroi so special. It's the people. Those who stay here, never leave, may take it for granted. But leave and you will know what I mean. They are just special. It's always nice to come back, to come home, and be among them again."

A native of Washington and a graduate of Washington High School where he starred in football, basketball and track, Joswick lived in Charleroi for 20 years and calls them "the best years of my life."

"I played against guys from Charleroi in high school and always had a lot of respect for them and the town," Joswick said. "I remember (Herman) Herky Pennline, Freddie Uhlman and Max Morgan. They were excellent athletes and good people."

Joswick and Pennline renewed acquaintances in the Army and again when Joswick was transferred to the Mon Valley Division of West Penn Power and moved to Charleroi in 1952.

"There I was buying some groceries at a store in the 900 block of Lincoln Avenue and the first person I ran into was Herky Pennline," said Joswick, who has been retired from West Penn Power for 14 years. "It was great to see him, and he made me feel at home and welcome in Charleroi."

Joswick, who celebrated his 78th birthday on Sept. 5, and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of three children. In addition to Mark, they have a son, Richard, who lives in Houston, Texas, and a daughter, Nancy Jo, who lives in Dallas. They also have six grandchildren.

As part of his post-cancer regime, Joswick exercises and walks every day and plays a little golf. He and his wife also remain involved as caretakers and caregivers in outreach programs through their church.

"We look in on people who are shut-ins or who aren't able to get out and about on their own," Joswick said in his typical humble fashion. "It's something we feel we need to do, something that God wants us to do."

While he describes Lower Burrell as a "nice community," Joswick emphasized that he still misses Charleroi and welcomed the opportunity to return for the reunion.

In reality, there were two reunions the day of the Belgian Club festivities. Thanks to the efforts of Ken Wiltz, executive director of Mon Valley YMCA, Joswick and Bill Cominsky got together for lunch at Rego's restaurant.

"What a wonderful man Bill Cominsky is," Joswick said. "He did so much for the youth of our community. He devoted countless hours to taking care of the fields at Recreation Park and he served on the school board for so many years. I always looked forward to working with him.

"He was the Citizen of the Year a couple of years before I received that honor and I was humbled to be chosen and in the company of Bill and the others who preceded me. They were, and still are, people would all do well to emulate."

The Red Raiders will tell you the same thing about Tom Joswick.