May 1, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 4 min read

The most successful high school baseball coach in the history of Fayette County has passed away.

Thomas “Tom” Sankovich, who led Connellsville to four WPIAL championships and a state title in 1989, died Thursday evening. He was 85.

Sankovich is known for establishing the Falcons’ baseball program in 1971, and after spending 20 years at the helm, Connellsville had a record of 424-107. The Falcons won their four district titles in 1973, ’82, ’86 and ’89. Sankovich also guided Connellsville to 10 section championships.

Connellsville Area School District Athletic Director and Superintendent Rich Evans issued a statement via email after receiving news of Sankovich’s passing.

The release reads: “‘Sank was a true Connellsville legend and someone who meant a great deal to me personally.

“As a former student of Mr. Sankovich, and now serving as Superintendent and Athletic Director, I feel this loss in a very real way. They do not make them like ‘Sank’ anymore. He represented a generation of teachers and coaches that we will never see again, and that reality is hard to accept.

“Coach Sankovich gave 40 years of his life to the Connellsville Area School District. A graduate of the University of Maryland, where he was named the football team’s Most Valuable Lineman, he brought that same toughness and pride back home and poured it into our students and programs.

“He built Connellsville baseball into something that will stand the test of time. Starting the program in 1971, he went on to win over 400 games, four WPIAL Championships, and a PIAA State Championship in 1989. That same team was ranked No. 10 in the country by USA Today, something that still makes our community proud today.

“But what I’ll remember most isn’t the record or the titles. It’s who he was. He was tough, old school, and no-nonsense; but he cared deeply about his players and his students. He had a way about him. He could be demanding one minute and make you laugh the next. You knew where you stood with him, and you knew he had your back.

“He shaped generations of young people in this community, and his impact will live on in all of them. The fact that our high school baseball field bears his name is fitting, but it still doesn’t fully capture what he meant to Connellsville.

“This one hurt. I will miss him greatly, and it deeply saddens me that he is gone. On behalf of the Connellsville Area School District, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Sankovich family and to all who had the privilege of knowing him. Thank you for everything, Coach.”

Sankovich always deflected credit to his players, assistant coaches and administrators, but what he accomplished has yet to be matched.

The “Thomas E. Sankovich Field” was dedicated on April 13, 2007.

While Sankovich may have pointed to his players when individuals marveled at the quality of teams he coached, the players felt their coach’s belief was the other way around.

Joe Bonadio, who was one of Sankovich’s star players, said via text message, “I was his favorite son!”

Bonadio added, “I played baseball at several places after high school, and he was still the best coach I ever played for! The man was/is a baseball legend!”

Despite his success as a baseball coach, Sankovich made his mark as a football player at North Union High School. He did play baseball for the Rams, but the 1958 graduate of what became Laurel Highlands after merging with South Union starred on the gridiron before playing four years for the Terrapins as an offensive and defensive tackle.

Sankovich returned to Fayette County following college and began his high school coaching career at Dunbar Township, where he was an assistant football coach and the head basketball coach. When Connellsville and Dunbar merged in 1966, Sankovich was the football coach and assistant basketball coach.

Sankovich, who also coached football at Geibel Catholic, was the head football coach at Connellsville for two years before starting the baseball program. He decided to focus solely on coaching baseball for the remainder of his career, which also included a solid career with Bud Murphy’s in the Fayette County Baseball League.

Sankovich retired from teaching driver’s and physical education at Connellsville in 2001.

Sankovich was married to the former Connie Orlando for 55 years until her passing on Nov. 14, 2020. Their two sons, Thomas (Tommy) and Brian, both played baseball for their father. Sankovich’s grandsons, Chase, Travis and Tyler all played baseball in high school and college. Chase and Tyler are still playing, while Travis had a successful collegiate career at Division I programs Marshall and South Florida.