CRESTLINE — The village of Crestline lost a legend last week when Hall of Fame football coach John DiPietro passed away at 80.

However, it would be a disservice to say that only Crestline lost a legend. Crawford County and even the entire state of Ohio could make that claim.

But his hometown of Crestline was nearest and dearest to DiPietro’s heart. He grew up and spent his entire life there. He graduated with the CHS Class of 1958, where he played on the football and basketball teams.

DiPietro taught history and physical education and coached at Crestline High School from 1967-1997. He became head football coach in 1972, a position he held until his retirement from teaching.

After retiring from Crestline, DiPietro joined the coaching staff at Bucyrus and eventually accepted the head coaching job from 2001-04. He then returned to Crestline for the 2005-07 seasons. He finished his career in various capacities at Mansfield Senior, back at Bucyrus, and Colonel Crawford to complete his 43-year coaching career.

DiPietro compiled a 150-90-6 record as head coach. His Crestline teams made the state playoffs in 1993 and 1996. The Bulldogs were undefeated in the regular season in 1978 and 1996 under his guidance.

His teams won nine league championships combined in the Johnny Appleseed Conference, the Mid-Ohio Conference, and the North Central Conference. DiPietro was named state coach of the year in 1978, 1993, and 1996, MOC coach of the year in 1978, 1983, and 1987, and NCC coach of the year in 1993 and 1996.

When I first met John, he was already an established, successful, veteran coach. I was a fledgling sportswriter, and yet he always handled my postgame interviews with him in a professional manner — win or lose — even if some of my questions may have seemed inane to him (and probably were). He was cordial and cooperative with all local media, both print and broadcast.

DiPietro also won the respect and admiration of fellow football coaches as attested to by his induction into the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 2003. It is no surprise that he became a member of the Crestline High School Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Crawford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

His love of the University of Notre Dame football was second only to his love of Crestline. DiPietro came into possession of season football tickets at South Bend in 1997 and held them until 2017. In case anyone was unaware f his allegiance to the Irish, his license plate read “MR ND.”

Left to feel the loss the most is his wife of 34 years, Barabara. But the community in general is left with a void that cannot ever really be filled.

Even so, John DiPietro’s legacy will live on. He was an integral part of the fabric of Crestline.