Veith remembered as gentleman, throwback

While coaching football in the Public League, Ed Veith used a 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust approach on offense.

But the man who was nicknamed "Zeus" would throw the occasional curveball in that run-dominated scheme. He did just that at the start of the 1970 City Championship game, calling for a counter play up the middle instead of the usual off-tackle run.

Ripping off a big gain on the play, Central put favored Bishop Egan on its heels. The Lancers went on to beat the Eagles, 13-6, before 30,000 at Franklin Field, becoming the first Public League school to win the title since 1958.

"He was so proud of his players and what they had accomplished," said Debra Eschbach, Veith's eldest daughter. "They outsmarted Bishop Egan that day."

Veith was a highly respected coach, teacher and administrator in the Philadelphia School District for nearly four decades. He died Aug. 3 at the age of 85.

The Wissinoming native, a member of Central's Class of 1943, spent a combined 38 years at Overbrook, Central, South Philadelphia, and Olney. His last position before retiring in 1988 was as Olney's athletic director.

Frank Greco was a student of Veith's at Central in the late 1960s, and later a teaching colleague at the school. "Ed was great," Greco said. "When I was a student, I had him for gym and health class. He was a classy gentleman, a real straight shooter. Everybody respected him."

Of Veith's coaching style, Greco, recently retired after teaching and coaching at Central for 27 years, said, "He was a throwback, no doubt about it. He stuck with the basics. But it worked."

Veith coached football for 12 seasons at Central, four at Overbrook, and one at Olney. He compiled a 104-52-13 overall record (.667 winning percentage), claiming Public League crowns at Central in 1967 (the Lancers bowed to Egan, 28-12, in the city final) and 1970.

"He was one of the old-school guys," said Ron Cohen, George Washington's longtime head coach. "He was part of a group that included Al Angelo (Frankford), Bill Bernardo (Northeast), John McAneney (West Catholic/Northeast), and Len Kolenda (Central). Ed was a classy guy."

Veith played football and baseball at Central. During the winter, he worked in his father's Wissinoming grocery store.

After high school, he enlisted in the Navy. He was a standout center on a North Carolina Pre-Flight squad. One of his coaches was Paul "Bear" Bryant.

"He called me 'Little Boy Blue,' because I was from the North and played the line, even though I weighed only 180 pounds," Veith told The Inquirer in 1988. "If you got a nickname from coach Bryant, that was quite something."

After Naval training, Veith enrolled in Temple and was a rugged-as-anything halfback for Ray Morrison's Owls.

He graduated in 1950, jumped into teaching, and soon married. Ed and Joyce Veith had six daughters. Their second, Janet, died at 13 from diabetes-related complications.

"He was an honest man, hard working, pleasant to everyone he met," said his daughter, Barbra Shaffer. "It's incredible how many people he touched over the years."

Like two of her siblings, Eschbach, of Lansdale, followed in her father's footsteps. At Souderton High, she taught health and physical education, and coached lacrosse and gymnastics.

"We trudged to a lot of my dad's football games," Eschbach said. "Central-Northeast on Thanksgiving Day was really big. We were so proud of him and his players."

Veith's longest stays were at Central and Overbrook. He also coached track and field, was the Public League chairman in football and golf, and was a judge in gymnastics and swimming. At Overbrook, he taught Wilt Chamberlain the nuances of the shot put and high jump.

Bob Barthelmeh was Central's starting quarterback in 1968. With Veith calling the shots, he was lucky to throw the ball five times a game.

"He didn't believe in passing," said Barthelmeh, now a health and physical education teacher and soccer coach at Central. "He'd run off-tackle plays, dives, counter plays. He believed in grinding it out."

Barthelmeh recalled Central's players giving Veith the "Zeus" nickname. "It was because he was such a strong and powerful figure," he said.

The stocky, barrel-chested coach was stern and demanding. "Off the field, when you got a chance to talk to him, he was jovial and playful," Barthelmeh said. "He would usually have a big smile on his face."

After retirement, Veith served as program director of the Breezy Point Day Camp in Langhorne, proudly playing the bugle when the American flag was raised in the morning. He also spent time golfing and singing in a church choir.

Services will be held Saturday, 11 a.m., at St. Stephen's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Feasterville. Family and friends may call from 9 to 11 a.m.