Jerome "Jerry" Matulevic

Jerry Matulevic, respected teacher and long-time baseball coach at Shaler Area High School near Pittsburgh, PA, died on Friday, October 9, 2026, in Port St. Lucie, Florida at age 87.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 61 years, Nancy Schwartz, sister-in-law Barbara (James) Callahan, and four nephews, Kevin, Ken, Rob Karcher and John Callahan.

He was preceded in death by his father, Andrew Matulevic, and his mother, Anna (Collins) Matulevic, as well as his sister Joanne Karcher and her husband Joe.

Jerry was a 1956 graduate of Shaler High School. He earned his teaching at the University of Pittsburgh, playing baseball under legendary coach Bobby Lewis.

He began his teaching career at Richland High School, teaching Health and Physical Education, and coaching both football and wrestling. In 1971, he took over the baseball program at Shaler Area, teaching and coaching there until his retirement. He also served as Head Football coach at Shaler during the 1980s.

Jerry’s baseball program became the most respected in western Pennsylvania. His teams won over 500 games during his tenure, including 3 WPIAL championships, a state championship, and a state runner-up title. Over 40 of his high school players signed professional baseball contracts, five on his 1980 state championship alone. Numerous other players went on to play Division I baseball. His 1980 state championship team was the first team selected to the WPIAL Sports Hall of Fame.

Jerry was a member of four Halls of Fame, including being honored at Pitt as a Golden Panther. The Titans’ home baseball field bears his name – Matulevic Field – in recognition of his lasting contributions.

But Jerry’s most impactful influence was his dedication to the young players who attended the Jerry Matulevic Championship camp over the course of 20 summers, players from every community in southwestern Pennsylvania. Each summer, over 400 campers would come for a week of instruction in the fundamentals of the sport. More importantly than the basics of the sport, each day, after lunch, they would sit in the bleachers and learn life lessons – did you thank your mother for washing your uniform and coming to your game?- what kind of teammate are you?- how do you act when your team loses?- do you go to church?- how do you support your teammates when things aren’t going well for them?

Neil Walker and Matt Clement are two of the thousands of campers who went on to successful big-league careers, and exemplified the lessons learned at the camp. Many of those campers stayed in touch with Jerry over the years, reminding him of his influence on their everyday lives. It was his legacy.

End-of-life arrangements will be private.