Gettysburg College Athletics

"Whitey" came from Bedford, Pa., and left Gettysburg with a degree in biology. In 1929 he broke into the starting football lineup as a fullback. In fact, that year's group of running backs was known as the "Blonde Backfield." They were quick, deceptive and powerful. As a junior, he was switched to halfback and scored most of his team's 152 points that year.

During the 1930-31 season, Gettysburg elevated wrestling to a varsity sport and Koontz was one of the first to join. He wrestled at 165-pounds and went on to play an important part in perpetuation interest in the sport.

Following graduation, he began a 40-year teaching career. Twenty-one of those years were spent as a high school wrestling coach.