Guide to the Peter Merovich Papers and Photographs 1920s-1990s
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Peter Merovich Papers and Photographs
- Creator
- Peter Merovich
- Collection Number
- MSS 0729
- Extent
- 0.75 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Date
- 1920s-1990s
- Abstract
- Peter Merovich was raised in the coal mining community of Castle Shannon, Pa., during the first half of the 20th century. He played as a national amateur soccer player on several Castle Shannon teams for over 20 years, and later served as a referee and administrator before being elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1971. The Peter Merovich Papers and Photographs document Merovich's soccer career, as well as his upbringing in a coal mining community, and contain newspaper clippings, team roster cards, photographs, game film, and Merovich's recorded oral history.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Peter Merovich was born in Curry, Pa., in 1921 to Lithuanian immigrants. Similar to other Eastern European immigrants at that time, Merovich's father and brother worked in the coal mines in Curry. During the regional coal strike of 1927, the family was forced to relocate to union constructed barracks. Following the end of the strike in 1928, they moved to Castle Shannon, Pa., and settled in the coal mining section of town, also known as "The Patch." While Peter's father and brother worked in Mine # 2, they dissuaded him from doing the same. Instead, Merovich played as an amateur national soccer player out of Castle Shannon for over 20 years, often turning down professional offers which would have forced him to relocate. He served in the United States Army during World War II in the North African and Italian Campaigns, and resumed his soccer career after the war. He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of fame as a builder of the sport, an offical Hall of Fame designation, in 1971. Peter Merovich died in 2007. He was husband to Blanche (Sidick) Merovich, and father to Michael and Deborah.
Bolstered by the ethnic diversity within the coal mining communities, the sport of soccer was widely popular throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania from the 1920s through the 1970s. Merovich began playing soccer in 1935 within the West Penn Juvenile League, and won the league title that same year. During the course of his career, Merovich played for W.W.Reihls, Castle Shannon A.C., and the Pat Fagan team, named after the union organizer and President of United Mine Workers in district 5. He played in seven championship games from 1937 through 1956 while playing in the Keystone League of West Penn. Merovich even made it to the final round of Olympic tryouts for the 1948 United States Men's Soccer team, to which three of his local league companions were chosen.
After finishing his playing career he continued to promote the sport throughout the region as a referee and officer in the West Penn Soccer League. He served as commissioner of the U.S. Open Cup, the National Amateur Championship, and the National Junior Championships. Merovich was recognized with a 1967 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dapper Dan award for his involvement with the sport.
Scope and Content Notes
The Peter Merovich Papers and Photographs document Merovich's soccer career, as well as his upbringing in a coal mining community. The papers consist of hand-written team roster cards, rulebooks, newspaper clippings featuring regional soccer news, and facsimiles of photographs and box scores. There are several soccer publications, like National Soccer News, to which Merovich contributed in the 1970s. The photographs consist of over 50 images, mostly of various posed team photos, as well as game play on the field.
The collection contains materials documenting the communities within which Peter Merovich lived. Facsimiles of stories and reports from the United Mine Workers Journal in 1927 and 1928 cover the coal strike his family took part in 1927. There is an unpublished manuscript written by Merovich titled Castle Shannon: the Patch, Mine #2. In it Merovich recalls growing up in the diverse Castle Shannon community, giving detailed accounts of family life, coal mining, homemade food and beverages, and sports, including soccer.
The collection also contains an oral history and transcript with Peter Merovich from 2003. There are 2 VHS tapes containing Castle Shannon soccer footage from the 1940s, as well as interviews of former players titled "From Coal Patch to Soccer Pitch: The Story of the Soccer Communities of Western Pennsylvania."
Conditions Governing Access
None
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Peter Merovich in 2004.
Archives accession # 2004.0100
Preferred Citation
Peter Merovich Papers and Photographs, 1920s-1990s, MSS 0729 , Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Alex J. Toner on 02/14/12.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Separated Materials
The museum maintains several of Peter Merovich's soccer jerseys. Museum accession # 2003.0085
Subjects
- United Mine Workers.
- West Penn Soccer League.
- National Soccer Hall of Fame.
- Castle Shannon (Pa.)
- Soccer--Pennsylvania--Castle Shannon