One of the best coaches in WPIAL softball history passed away on Friday, as Bob Kalp died at the age of 80.

Kalp led Hempfield Area to seven WPIAL titles (1998, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and four PIAA championships (1999, 2016, 2017, 2018) in 25 years at the helm. He resigned in 2021 with a record of 431-111-1.

Kalp began his storied coaching career in 1967, which also included a lengthy tenure as a boys basketball assistant, and stepped away from the softball diamond five years ago. The following year, he was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame.

"Losing someone who helped shape not only the player I was, the coach I've become, and the person, I am is heartbreaking for me," current Hempfield Area coach Tina Madison wrote on her Facebook page.

"Taking over this program after him has always been an honor, and one I’ve never taken lightly, she continued. "I’ve tried every day to uphold the standard he created and to pass on even a fraction of what he gave to us. He won a lot of ball games but his legacy will be with every player who walks onto that field with confidence and pride."

Kalp taught high school chemistry for 37 years at Hempfield Area.

Friends and family will be received at Barnhart Funeral Home in Greensburg on Wednesday from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the funeral home chapel.