CLARION, Pa. — The Golden Eagle athletics family was saddened by the passing of Patrick Mooney, former head coach of the Clarion track & field and cross country programs, and a member of the Clarion Sports Hall of Fame.
He was 84 years old.
“On behalf of all of us in the Clarion athletic department, I would like to extend condolences and sympathies to all those who knew and loved Pat,” said Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Wendy Snodgrass. “Coach Mooney embodied the values of character and integrity and was well-loved by so many student-athletes whose lives he positively affected. He was a Hall of Famer not just because of the success of his athletes in competition, but also because of the impact he made with them every day.”
Mooney took over the men’s and women’s cross country and track & field programs at Clarion in 1994, turning what had been struggling programs into Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contenders as well as the homes to future All-Americans.
In 2002, the women’s cross country team placed third at the PSAC Championships and second at the NCAA Division II East Regionals, marking the program’s first-ever qualification for the NCAA Division II Championship meet. One of the athletes on that squad, Melissa Terwilliger, went on to earn All-American honors in cross country in 2003, placing 17th at the national meet.
That success came on the heels of incredible performances on the women’s track & field team as well. Melissa Yearous became an All-American in 2001 when she placed fourth in the outdoor High Jump. Terwilliger placed fifth in the 10,000m at the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, while Julie Evenoski placed eighth in the Javelin.
On the men’s side, the men’s cross country team showed great progress under Mooney, led by all-conference and all-region performer Ean King. Thom Swenson earned All-America honors in 1996 with an eighth-place finish in the 400m, and in 2000 Dave Clarion took fourth nationally in the High Jump at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
A 1956 graduate of Slippery Rock, Mooney was elected to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame East Boros Chapter in 2000.
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