Charles Karlow

• Post by: mcalibrary
• December 18, 2023
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INDUCTEE

Coach Charlie Karlow looked like a prizefighter, but his interests were much deeper and much more varied than just sports. Apparently, this was noticeable at an early age because his 1929 yearbook says, “None, by himself, is his parallel”. He was a man who coached, played, ran tournaments, and then was able to go home and build a house all by himself.

After a fine career in high school in all three sports-football, basketball, and track- he earned a full scholarship to Albright University. His senior year there, he co-captained the team along with Stan Hino of Shenandoah. He also lettered in track, participated in the weight events.

When he came to Mount Carmel High School in 1953, he continued to coach football and basketball, and, in addition, ran intra-mural programs in volleyball and basketball,

Coach Karlow had a broken nose that had never been fixed, which gave him the look of the tough guy that central casting might have chose. But he spoke five languages, played guitar, mandolin, piano, organ, accordion, harmonica; was a super dancer, swimmer and diver, and a horseshoe champion. Mostly, he was a great guy who was a lot of fun, and made an indelible impression on a whole generation of high school kids.