Former NFL player Sean Gilbert finalist to coach Aliquippa football

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, March 18, 2018 | 5:36 PM

Former NFL player Sean Gilbert is among three finalists to become Aliquippa's next football coach.

Gilbert, Cornell coach Ed Dawson and Central Valley assistant Mike Warfield are the candidates in contention to replace Mike Zmijanac, Aliquippa superintendent Pete Carbone said Sunday. The three Aliquippa natives will interview Monday with the Aliquippa school board.

Gilbert, who starred at Aliquippa and Pitt, was a first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 1992. His mother Aileen Gilbert was among the Aliquippa school board members who voted 7-2 on Feb. 21 to replace Mike Zmijanac, who had coached the team for 21 seasons. Zmijanac owned a career record of 237-36 with six WPIAL titles and one state championship.

The school board is expected to hire a coach at Wednesday's meeting.

The district received 25 applicants for the coaching position, Carbone said.

A five-person committee of school administrators and board members conducted interviews with seven candidates this past week, Carbone said. Afterward, the field was narrowed to three.

Aliquippa also must hire an athletic director to replace Zmijanac, whose contract expires June 30. Carbone said the board wants to make hire separate individuals for athletic director and head football coach.

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.