Before Ligonier Valley joined the WPIAL this past school year, the Rams had been a dominant program in the District 6 Heritage Conference, especially in football and boys basketball. An athlete who helped lay the groundwork for that level of excellence for both teams was Alec Bloom. Bloom, who went on to play football at UConn and briefly in the NFL, is featured in the return installment of the Westmoreland Where Are They Now?

When Bloom was entering ninth grade, the Ligonier Valley and Laurel Valley districts merged. On the gridiron for the newly-created Rams, Bloom made modest contributions during his sophomore season in 2011, making five tackles. That year, Ligonier Valley went 8-3, including a perfect 8-0 mark in Heritage Conference play.

The following year, as a tight end, Bloom caught 16 passes for 337 yards and seven touchdowns, while he added 33 tackles defensively. Ligonier Valley went 10-2, including 7-1 in conference play, and scored a District 6 postseason victory against Bald Eagle Area before falling to Forest Hills.

As a senior in 2013, Bloom developed into one of the best tight ends in the state, as he recorded 45 catches for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns, and added a rushing touchdown. Defensively, Bloom compiled 57 tackles. As a result, Bloom earned numerous accolades, including Pennsylvania Sportswriters Class AA All-State honors. Collectively, Ligonier Valley went 5-3 in conference play, but fell to Richland in the District 6 playoffs to finish with a record of 6-5.

Bloom also excelled at basketball, averaging nearly 14 points and 9 rebounds as a sophomore, and 16.0 and 9.3 as a junior.

While Bloom enjoyed considerable success with the Rams, he pointed to a trio of his coaches – Roger Beitel, John Berger, and Todd Hepner – as the biggest takeaway from his time at Ligonier Valley.

“Probably just the mentors at Ligonier,” he said. “I think for me, I definitely would have gotten nowhere near where I got in college or after that without good mentors being around me.”

Bloom elected to continue his athletic career by accepting a football scholarship at the University of Connecticut (UConn). By doing so, he helped forge a path to college athletics that dozens of Rams have since followed.

“At Ligonier, the talent pool has just gotten so much better,” Bloom said. “Once you started seeing guys go play in college, and there were a couple of guys before me, you started to believe “I could do this too.”’

To that point, Bloom mentioned Micah Tennant, who grew up nearby and went on to play football at Lehigh, as an example of a player who gave Bloom confidence to pursue a future on the gridiron.

At UConn, Bloom played in 11 games as a freshman in 2014, hauling in three passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. The Huskies went just 2-10, however.

In 2015, Bloom played in 13 games, recording 22 catches for 314 yards and a score. UConn improved to 6-7, including 4-4 in the American Athletic Conference. Among the highlights that season, the Huskies were selected for a bowl game – a 16-10 setback to Marshall University in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

In 2016, Bloom played in a dozen games, making 15 catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. UConn posted a mark of 3-9, and 1-7 in the AAC. Alec Bloom

As a senior in 2017, Bloom played in 12 games, registering five catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Huskies went 3-9 once again, including 2-6 in the conference.

During his four years with UConn, a pair of coaches made a significant impact on Bloom - offensive coordinator Frank Verducci and assistant head coach and tight ends coach Don Patterson. He also mentioned his relationship with teammates as another highlight of his time with the Huskies.

“I made some of my best friends playing college football,” he said. “Would’ve liked to have been a more competitive team.”

Following his graduation, Bloom signed with the Arizona Cardinals, and competed for a roster spot throughout training camp in 2018. Playing alongside legendary receiver Larry Fitzgerald provided an unforgettable memory.

“Like most kids, I always wanted to play professional football growing up. I figured I’d give it a shot – it’s a once in a lifetime thing,” he said

Bloom did not make the roster, however, and despite having football opportunities afterwards, including with the Alliance of American Football (AAF), he elected to instead pursue the next chapter of his life.

“I kind of made a decision that I played football for a long time, been really fortunate not to get seriously injured; I came out with my health and football isn’t going to last forever, so I kind of hung it up,” Bloom stated. “I was happy with what I accomplished.”

After graduating with a degree in economics, Bloom opted to continue his schooling at the University of Pittsburgh, pursuing a dual master’s in business (MBA) and health administration (MHA).

“I knew I wanted to go back to grad school, because I didn’t really know what I was going to do with an economics degree,” he noted.

He has already worked at UPMC, and after finishing the second year of the three-year program in May, Bloom accepted an internship at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He’s called it an amazing experience thus far.

“I’m on the management side of the hospital in the outpatient practice,” he explained. “It’s unique in that people travel from all over the world to come and get care here. I’m starting to see the impact it has on people.”

Although the internship will conclude in mid-August, Bloom could envision a future with the Mayo Clinic after he concludes his studies and applies for administrative fellowships.

“I think Mayo is somewhere I can definitely land, for sure,” he said. “It’s honestly one of the best cultures I’ve ever been a part of - I never really thought I’d see a similar environment to being part of a team and that attitude and having that comradery.”

Despite his academic workload, Bloom has remained active, working out daily, while also spending time skiing, hiking, and bike riding.

Additionally, he has continued to follow Ligonier Valley athletics, especially this past year as the Rams made their highly-anticipated return to the WPIAL.

“It wasn’t something we thought about. We just played whoever was on the schedule,” Bloom said of the notion of competing in the WPIAL when he was in high school. “I think for the kids now, it’s a really big advantage for them, because they have a bigger stage to play on and they have good competition. I’m happy for the teams now, for sure.”