Samuel C. Liburdi

A Mass of Christian burial will be conducted on June 26th, 2023 for Samuel C. Liburdi of South Pymatuning Township.  He passed away on June 20th, 2023.  He was 92 years old.

Mr. Liburdi was born on April 22, 1931 in Sharpsville PA to Samuel and Viola (Brannan) Liburdi who preceded him in death.

He was a 1949 graduate of Sharpsville High School where he was a standout in several sports, especially football, where he played in the backfield on the Undefeated 1946 Football Team.  He also enjoyed playing baseball where he excelled in the catcher position.

Following high school graduation, he was recruited to play sports at several colleges and universities and ultimately earned a football scholarship to St Vincent College in Latrobe.  While at St Vincent, he played on the Undefeated 1949 St Vincent Bearcat team.  He also played in the 1950 Tangerine Bowl (now Citrus Bowl) in Orlando, Fla where the Bearcats defeated Emory & Henry by a score of 7-6.  He graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities/Pre-Law.

He started his teaching career in 1953 at Sharpsville Area School district where he met his wife Adele D. Dicke, who preceded him in death in 2011. They were married on June 4, 1955 at St. Joseph Church in Sharon.  

Mr. Liburdi’s teaching career was interrupted by the military draft where he served honorably from 1955-1957 in U.S. Army Signal Corps, and Infantry at Ft. Jackson, Ft. Meade, and the Farrell Army Reserve Unit.  

He was an inspirational educator and coached multiple sports at Sharpsville including football, baseball, and wrestling.  He was the head Football Coach from 1966-1976 where he compiled a 58-38-7 record.  He was especially proud of the hard-fought back-to-back defeats of the Sharon Tiger Football team, as well as winning several Championships in the Mercer County and Northwest Football Conference.   In 1973, he received Honors from the Mercer County Hall of Fame for Outstanding Contributions to Sports at the 26th Annual Dinner, and was inducted to the Mercer County Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. He was also the first Commissioner of the Keystone Football League. In 2018 he was inducted into the Sharpsville Area School District Hall of Fame.

He enjoyed mentoring, teaching, and coaching legions of Sharpsville students and athletes and was immensely proud of their school, career and life successes. He will be remembered by many of his students for his challenging “History Orals Exams” and for his inspirational coaching style and half-time pep talks with his football teams.  Mr. Liburdi’s teaching career culminated in his service as Principal of Sharpsville Middle School and Assistant Principal at the High School.  He retired from teaching in 1991.

His other interests included gardening, Italian cooking, and tinkering in the garage along with doing home improvements, and sharing time with his children and grandchildren. He was a past member of the BPOE Elks Club and Order Sons of Italy in America.

He was a member of St. Bartholomew’s Church, Sharpsville.

Survivors include Colonel Sam Liburdi (wife Alicia), U.S. Air Force Retired, Melbourne Florida; Matthew Liburdi (wife Leslie), Hermitage; daughter, Elise (Liburdi) Boyd, Melbourne Florida; sister Kathleen Caracci; 6 grandchildren Erin Liburdi, Adrienne Loum, Kyle Boyd, Haley Boyd, Mason Liburdi, Ava Liburdi and 3 great grandchildren Gabriel Loum, Peter Loum, Adeline Loum.

Memorial contributions may be sent to the Community Foundation of Western Pa / Sam and Adele Liburdi Scholarship Fund.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday June 26th, 2023 at 11:00 am in St. Bartholomew R.C. Church 311 W. Ridge Ave. Sharpsville, PA with Very Rev. Richard Allen officiating.

Burial will take place in St. Mary’s Cemetery next to his wife.

Arrangements entrusted to the SHERMAN Funeral Home

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