Trgovac stays true to roots

PITTSBURGH -- The architect of one of the NFL's finest defenses hasn't forgotten his roots.
After eight years as a defensive line coach for four NFL teams, Mike Trgovac, a 1977 graduate of Austintown Fitch High, hit paydirt last year when he took over the Carolina Panthers' defense.
The Panthers' season didn't end until they came within four seconds of forcing the first Super Bowl overtime.
On Feb. 1, Adam Venatieri's 41-yard field goal ended the Panthers' magical ride that included playoff wins in St. Louis and Philadelphia.
But what a ride it was. And it may not be over.
Returns homeevery year
Even though Trgovac, 45, is one of the league's rising coaching stars, he still returns home to the Mahoning Valley every summer to visit family and friends.
"Man, Austintown has changed," Trgovac said Thursday after the Panthers defeated the Steelers, 16-13, in the season's final exhibition game at Heinz Field. "Those woods we used to play in are filled with houses now."
Trgovac admits that part of the past 12 months seems like a dream.
"But it's what you work for," Trgovac said of the reward of coaching in the NFL championship game. "It's exciting, not only for the great fans we have in Charlotte, but also for our owners and the players, who worked so hard. They believe in Foxy's philosophy so much."
Foxy is John Fox, a former Steelers secondary coach for Chuck Noll who took over the 1-15 Panthers after the 2001 season and rebuilt them.
Following a 7-9 season, Fox promoted Trgovac, who joined Carolina as defensive line coach in 2002, to defensive coordinator.
"We had never worked together, but I think he had confidence in me," Trgovac said of Fox. "He knew that I knew the system that we were running and he didn't want to make a lot of changes."
From one winto Super Bowl
An 11-5 season, NFC South Division title and the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance followed.
"They really bought into [Fox's coaching] and it's been fun to see it come from a 1-15 season to where we are now," Trgovac said.
Last year, the Panthers finished in the top 10 of 10 categories.
In the NFC Championship game in Philadelphia, Trgovavc's defenders forced four turnovers and limited the Eagles to a field goal in the 14-3 upset.
It should be noted that Trgovac has long been a Vindicator favorite -- his dad, Ed, was the company's personnel manager for many years.
In 1976, Trgovac received all-state honors when he was named defensive lineman of the year. He also won the state heavyweight wrestling championship.
He played four seasons for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan, starting three seasons at middle guard and helping lead the Wolverines to three Rose Bowls. He also was named second-team all-American.
"They're both great experiences," said Trgovac of the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl experiences. "Particularly when you're in a town like Charlotte -- it's a big city but it has a small-town atmosphere.
"It's almost like the campus atmosphere that you see in a bowl game," Trgovac said of his North Carolina home. "You're not in a huge city where half the people don't care about the team."
Coaching historya winding road
Before joining the NFL, Trgovac spent 11 seasons coaching collegiately, first at Michigan as a graduate assistant. His other college stops were at Ball State (1984-86), Navy (1989), Colorado State (1990-91) and Notre Dame (1992-94).
He met his wife, Angela, at Ball State. They have a daughter, Jordan, and a son, Michael.
Prior to relocating to Carolina, Trgovac was defensive line coach for the Washington Redskins. Trgovac's other NFL defensive line coaching jobs were with Green Bay (1999) and the Eagles (1995-98).
Growing up, Browns or Steelers fan?
"I was probably more of a Steelers fan because they were doing so well at the time," Trgovac said. "I watched both of them -- that was really a luxury for me.
"To be honest, I didn't side with one team but I've got brothers who are diehard Browns fans. It was fun in our family because we were so close to both [cities]."
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at williams@vindy.com.