DANIEL T. POUST

Athlete, North Penn High School, 1959

7 Varsity Letters: 3 Football, 3 Wrestling, 1 Track & Field
1958 NPHS Football Team MVP
1958 1st Team Coaches All Bux-Mont Eleven
1958 American Legion Award “Outstanding Lineman”
1959 Captain of NPHS Wrestling Team
1959 Bux-Mont Wrestling Champion 145lb. Class
1959 District Wrestling 3rd Place 145lb. Class
1959 Member of Bux-Mont Track & Field Championship Team
Varsity Athlete Muhlenberg College Football, Wrestling, Track & Field
1963 Muhlenberg College 1st Team All-East Football
1963 Muhlenberg College Football Tri-Captain
Graduated Muhlenberg College, B. A. Psychology, 1964
Inducted 2012

Dan was an all-around, complete package. He attained the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, an Eagle Scout; once an Eagle, always an Eagle. At North Penn High School Dan played on the football, wrestling, and track and field teams. In February of 1958 he won NPHS’s sit-up contest with 2,250, beating his own sophomore record of 1,510.
Football was Dan’s passion since early childhood. Dan usually accompanied his father, Ken Poust (Lansdale H.S. head football coach from 1942-1951) into the locker room after games. Once, a newspaper guy asked Dan what position he wanted to play when he grew up. “Fullback”, Dan said. The newspaper guy turned to Ken and said, “Coach this is heresy, the son of an old guard like you wanting to be a fullback. How come?” Ken shrugged, smiled and said, “I guess that he wants to get his name in the papers.” Well Dan, you did get your name in the papers not at fullback but at guard, just like Dad! In his senior year, Dan was voted “Most Valuable Player” by his peers. He was also selected to the 1st team Coaches All Bux-Mont Eleven at left guard as a senior. This was especially a great honor and achievement since the Knights placed fifth in the Bux-Mont League standings with a 4-6 record that year. Most 1st team players are selected from the top three finishing teams each year. Dan was selected to the newly formed Delaware Valley Football Coaches Association based on sportsmanship, loyalty, and team-play and recognized as one of the most aggressive lineman in the league. The American Legion Trophy was presented to Dan as the teams “Outstanding Lineman” in his senior year. Because Dan was not especially big by football standards (5-7, 158), he was the first athlete to engage in an off-season weight-lifting program initiated by his dad.
Dan was a pioneer for what is today’s outstanding N.P.H.S. wrestling program. Coach Ed Klavon started the program in 1956 and Dan was on that first team. In Dan’s senior year, he was Captain of the team and high scorer with 19 points at the 145lb weight class. They placed second in the Bux-Mont and Dan won the Bux-Mont Wrestling Championship in the 145lb class. The team also had three 3rd place winners at District I finals of which Dan was one of the three. Dan was also a member and Pole Vaulter on the NPHS 1959 Bux-Mont Track and Field Team.
Massanutten Military Academy in Woodstock, Virginia, was Dan’s home from September 1959 to June 1960 where he played guard for the Colonels football team. He also received an Academic Award for excellence in French and the Best Drilled Squad (1st Squad, Company “D”) commanded by Cadet SFC Daniel T. Poust.

Dan then went onto Muhlenberg College in September 1960 where he lettered in football, wrestling, track and field, and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Once again football was his passion. As a freshman in a game against Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Dan sacked the quarterback for a safety and a final winning score of 2-0. Dan showed his versatility by switching from left guard to right guard where he was a standout performer on both offense and defense. He was a Tri-Captain in the 1963 football season. As a junior he was selected on the 2nd Team All-East Division I and 1st Team All-East Division I as a senior. This was quite an honor because of the caliber of opponents (Syracuse/Navy/Army/Yale/Princeton/Virginia). Muhlenberg changed to Division III after the 1963 season. Dan graduated from Muhlenberg in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

Dan was named “Montgomery County Collegiate Athlete of the Year 1963” acknowledging his accomplishments while at Muhlenberg College, especially being selected on the 1st Team All-East Division I in his senior year. This honor was Carl Schuler’s Fourth Annual “Sportsmen’s Dinner” (NP Sportswriters Association) held at Gwynedd Inn. Dan was joined by Curt Simmons honored as “Montgomery County’s Professional Athlete of 1963”.

From 1964-1988, Dan was head football coach of the Cannoneers Midget Football Program (now Lansdale Cannoneers Youth Football) and served as the Athletic Director. He coached 80 pound, 90 pound, and 115 pound class weights throughout his tenure but settled in with the 115 pound class always in the running for the championship. Dan also coached the Cannoneers Travel Squad and produced many quality football players that served both the North Penn and Lansdale Catholic football programs.

After college and while coaching the Cannoneers, Dan worked for Kwik-Kafe of Lansdale, Inc. which his father, Ken Poust, started in the early 1950’s while still head football coach at Lansdale High School. After his dad sold the business, Dan worked for Rusk Communications (parent company of WAEB Radio Allentown) as an advertising sales representative.