Passionate Players

Bill Lopasky Merr Trumbore

From Small Town to Big League

Bill “Hard Coal” Lopasky appreciates the time he spent playing high school, college and professional football and all the people he met along the way. More than athletic feats, though, it helped him achieve an advanced education, which served him well off the field.

“It was about the camaraderie,” he said, “and the love of the game. We enjoyed it. I still get calls from teammates. It’s also the only way I could’ve gotten an education.”

His nickname, “Hard Coal,” pays homage to his hometown, Lehman, in the heart of Pennsylvania’s coal country, and his ability to withstand roughness. Bill started playing football in ninth grade for Lehman High School on a team that didn’t even have enough players to scrimmage one another. A coach from nearby King’s College saw Bill play and told a friend at West Virginia University (WVU) about him. Bill received a full scholarship to play for the WVU Mountaineers. He was injured his first year and red-shirted his second, but played his junior year and started his senior year.

One of his greatest athletic feats came during a game against Oklahoma University. He played offensive and defensive guard and was part of the special team unit (squad used for kickoffs, punts or other special plays). It was his junior year, and his first time on the field, when he blocked a quick kick and took it back into the end zone for a touchdown.

“I remember walking on the field before the game with my tie on and no one in the stands,” Bill said. “I wasn’t a first team player, but coach looked at me and said, ‘You’re starting today.’ Later, when I walked out in my uniform, there were 40,000 to 50,000 people in the stands.”

During Bill’s junior year, the San Francisco 49ers contacted him and ended up selecting him in the 13th round of the 1959 NFL draft. Working without an agent, he immediately signed a contract for $7,500 with $500 down. The San Diego Chargers called him with a higher offer, but the deal was done.

“Never in my wildest expectations did I think I’d be drafted,” Bill said. “I was from a country town with 51 people in my class. Playing in the NFL was quite an accomplishment.”

Only 225-230 pounds, Bill was one of the smallest offensive guards in the league. His first year with the 49ers, he was injured. The second year, he played 10 games in the 1961 season.

By the third season, he had gotten married and signed another contract — as a teacher. The Chargers had draft rights to him, which they sold to the New York Jets. Bill made the team, and Denver wanted to trade for him, but he decided to fulfill his teaching contract instead. He taught for 37 years and coached football and baseball before retiring.

Since 2015, he and his wife, Jan, have resided at Masonic Village at Dallas, where he cheers on the New England Patriots.

“Having associated with all the fine players I played with is something I’ll never forget,” Bill said. “It was a good experience. I’d do it again, although a little differently from a contract perspective.”

Swinging Life Away

Table tennis requires strong concentration, quick reflexes and a high degree of hand-eye coordination. The game isn’t for everyone, but for Merr Trumbore, it had a huge impact on his life.

As a youngster, he played table tennis in a friend’s attic, but at that point, it was considered more “goofing around.” Still, as the friends dueled each other, Merr was learning the rules of the game, discovering and advancing his talent one afternoon at a time. At age 13, he discovered a “first-class” table tennis club located two blocks away from his home in Bethlehem and became hooked. To Merr, this experience turned “ping pong” into “table tennis,” a much more sophisticated game, at least by the sound of it. He played at the club 20 to 25 hours each week.

“After my homework was done, of course,” Merr said. “Thousands of hours I spent practicing.”

Merr often accepted advice from the players who practiced endlessly. Little did he know he would one day master the sport.

He went on to play in several professional table tennis leagues, challenged several former national and international champions and became a life member of the U.S. Table Tennis Association. His biggest accomplishments include winning a silver medal at the 1992 Senior Olympics in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and ranking eighth, nationally, in the over 70 age division.

The secret to being successful at table tennis? “Having a first-class coach and hitting thousands of balls,” Merr said. “Always spend as much time as you can behind the table.”

Merr moved to Masonic Village at Dallas in 2015 after losing his wife of 50 years. He chose this campus, in part, because of its variety of activities and close proximity to Misericordia University. As a still-avid sports fan, he and some of his neighbors attend college games together.

Merr was also successful at tennis, ranking first during his time at Moravian College.

Before the pandemic, he occasionally practiced with Misericordia’s women’s and men’s tennis teams. He often gave the players a “run for their money,” though admittedly, he says he learned more from them.

According to Merr, table tennis and regular tennis are not so different. Both involve strong concentration, quick reflexes and coordination. Tennis is on a larger scale, seemingly harder, but actually allows more time to react.

Masonic Village has provided him an opportunity, and the time, to continue to swing away at both passions.