AUSTINTOWN — A former coach and Austintown Fitch High School principal will have a scholarship endowed in his name at the Youngstown State University Foundation.

The Robert W. Winterburn Scholarship will be available for Fitch High graduates enrolled full-time at YSU in business or education. Students must have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and may have the opportunity for the scholarship to be renewed through the application and selection process.

Winterburn is a lifelong sports fan who paved the way for the Jackson-Milton High School Blue Jays as one of the school’s first 11-man football team members. He graduated high school in 1949 and went on to attend Heidelberg College in 1952 (now Heidelberg University), where he earned his bachelor of education and achieved all Ohio conference and MVP awards his senior year. He also was the first in his family to graduate college.

He served in the Army from 1954-1955 at Fort Bragg, N.C., where he played football and baseball.

He began his coaching career at Canfield High School in 1957 through 1959. His team had only two losses in three seasons. He returned to Heidelberg in 1960 as head coach and came back to his roots in northeast Ohio as head coach for the Fitch Falcons from 1962 to 1965. They were Steel Valley Conference champs in 1962.

After an accomplished coaching career, Winterburn received his Master of Education degree from Kent State University. He later advanced to senior principal at Austintown Fitch High School from 1972 to 1983.

All of the Winterburn sons — Gary, Tom, Bill and Jim — were Fitch graduates who excelled in academics and sports under their father’s guidance.

Reflecting on his career, Winterburn, 88, noted, “I was very fortunate that my high school coach, Bud Francis, encouraged me to attend college and become a teacher and coach. My good fortune advanced when I was recruited by Heidelberg College to play football, where I earned a bachelor of education degree.”

About the value of academics, he added, “…I would not have been able to achieve the success I had in coaching, teaching and administration without the education I received at Jackson-Milton High School, Heidelberg College and Kent State University.”

It was Tom Winterburn and his wife, Phyllis, who established the scholarship. Tom is the former vice president of leasing at the Edward J. DeBartolo Corp., and later became the senior vice president of leasing at Simon Malls and Westfield, two of the largest shopping mall developers in the country. Speaking about reasons for creating the scholarship, Tom said, “This endowment allows me to honor not only my alma maters but also the legacy of my father’s dedication to education in student development through teaching, coaching and discipline.”

Tom continued, “I have always desired to give back to Austintown Fitch High School and YSU for the education that allowed me to have a successful 30-year career.”

Donations to the Robert W. Winterburn Scholarship can be made at the YSU Foundation website at www.ysufoundation.com under the “giving” tab.

Founded in 1966, the YSU Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising arm of YSU. In the 2020-2021 academic year, the foundation will provide a record of $9.9 million in scholarship and program support for YSU students.

news@tribtoday.com