Bob Ruoff, longtime executive secretary of District 1, passes away

Robert M. Ruoff, who made a major impact on the area high school sports landscape while serving as executive secretary for District 1 of the PIAA for the last 21 years, died Thursday morning at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was 85.

"He was a great, great guy," said Steve Mescanti, District 1's baseball chairman. "He was a big advocate for District 1. He always tried to do the fair and correct thing. He gained a lot of respect for that."

According to Rod Stone, District 1's treasurer, Ruoff, a former principal at Lower Merion and Harriton, died from "complications related to some pulmonary issues. He had been receiving oxygen therapy."

Ruoff was a standout in tennis and basketball at Albright before graduating in 1951. He was inducted into the Albright Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ruoff was known as one of the "13th Street Kids" because he went to elementary school, junior high school, high school, and college, all on 13th Street in Reading.

After a two-year stint in the Marine Corps, Ruoff joined Lower Merion's faculty as an English teacher and boys' basketball coach. He was the school's principal from 1972 to 1994.

Stone said Ruoff, in his role as District 1's executive secretary, was "thorough and had a real understanding of the PIAA bylaws."

Ruoff, who also spent time as a football official, is survived by Jane, his wife of 61 years, three children, five grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.

In 2004, Ruoff, who was District 1's chairman in the early 1990s, received the Pennsylvania State Athletic Directors Association Distinguished Service Award for individuals outside the field of athletic administration.

"Bob was an absolute gentleman," said Paul Bogosian, Haverford High's 29-year head baseball coach. "He did so much for so many people. It's a huge loss."

Ruoff was avid bridge player, tennis historian, and coached Little League baseball and basketball for many years in Upper Merion Township.

He was inducted into the Berks County chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Funeral arrangements were pending.