Bill Clinton was President of the United States.

The cost of a first-class postage stamp was 32 cents, while the average price of a gallon of gas in Pennsylvania was $1.07.

Saving Private Ryan had recently been released in theaters, and ER was the top-rated TV show.

The year was 1998.

And Mark Rosenberger was in his first year as head football coach at Jim Thorpe.

Hired by the Olympians at just 24 years old, having been an assistant under Stan Dakosty at Marian for three seasons, no one knew then that 27 years later — this being his 28th season — Rosenberger would still be leading the program.

But that’s exactly what he’s done — and has done it well for all that time.

When asked if it felt like it’s been that long he’s been in charge of the Olympians, Rosenberger flashed his familiar grin and said, “No, not really, but I guess the gray hair can tell me differently.

“I just try to survive one year at a time. We’ve built a family here, for sure. That’s what it’s all about, my personal family, my coaching family and the players and so forth. It’s a great place, a great little town with great community support. You couldn’t ask for a better area to be coaching in.”

And the community couldn’t ask for a better head coach.

Things might not have started the best for Rosenberger at the start — losing his starting quarterback to an injury on the first play from scrimmage in his first game at Thorpe — but the Olympians won that game and improvement came year after year.

Before long, the Olympians became known as a force on the field and enjoyed numerous winning seasons.

Much of that is attributed to Rosenberger and his coaching staffs, beginning with that first season.

“The schedule’s obviously a little different than what it was back then, that’s for sure,” said Rosenberger, whose team played Carson Long, Bishop Hafey and Columbia-Montour Vo-Tech in that initial season. “I think we’ve continuously had progression to build our program to a respected one in our area. But again, that goes back to a lot of dedication from Year 1. We put that first year of kids through a lot many years ago, and those kids — the Brian Richards’s, the Craig Sibbach’s that were there at Year 1 and persevered, the Brian Borosh’s, those are the type of kids that helped build this program because of what they endured and they kept coming back.

“That put the program in the direction we wanted to go to at Jim Thorpe. So it goes all the way back to Year 1, and it just continues on now. I’m fortunate to have a really quality group of kids that I just love being around, and as coaches it makes it much easier when the kids are in tune as much as the current one are.”

Keeping everyone in tune is one of the reasons Rosenberger has not only enjoyed success, but has built a family atmosphere.

From the players and coaches to the managers and trainers, everyone knows their role and what is expected from them.

“Communication (is his biggest strength),” said Frank Miller, Rosenberger’s assistant for the past 23 seasons. “Every day he is constantly communicating, setting expectations not just for the players, but all coaches and everyone involved in the program. We’re all on the same page, and we all know what the expectations and standards are on a daily basis.”

Rosenberger’s methods not only work in football, but Miller credits his approach to the accomplishments achieved by the JT track and field squads, of which Miller is the head coach.

“I attribute a lot of our success in our track program from learning from Coach Rose, how to build a program, how to run a program,” said Miller. “I’ve taken those philosophies that I learned early on in my coaching career as a football coach within the football program and applied them to our track program which allowed us to have, I feel, the successes that we’ve had in the last 10-25 years from a track standpoint.

“So, it’s mirror images of culture, standards, accountability, behaviors in the school, and all those little things that truly make a program a program.”

Talk to Rosenberger about the many years on the practice field and the sidelines, and some words are repeated over and over again — Fortunate, Family, Special.

All those are words Craig Zurn has experienced with the head coach — both as a player and now as an assistant coach.

“He was definitely a great coach to play for,” said Zurn. “He was strict, but at the same time he kept us all in line and it was fun playing for him, too ... He had us always ready to go against every single opponent, never taking anyone lightly. He always had us well-prepared, and he taught us as players life lessons as well. Most of the guys that I played football with are still my closest friends, and that’s what he instilled in us that this is a brotherhood, and that stuck with me.

“There’s not much (difference between playing under him and coaching under him). His standards are the same ... He’s got everybody on board on the same plan. You just see, from this side of it, all the preparation that goes in behind the scenes to prepare for a game. As players I don’t think we ever felt out-prepared by any team that we played. And I see it now why we don’t because he thinks of everything. There’s nothing that’s going to surprise him when it comes to a gameplan situation.”

While the game has changed — with spread offenses the norm — and so have the kids — bigger, faster and stronger — Rosenberger’s love of the sport hasn’t. And for that matter, neither has the support he’s received all these years.

“I’m very fortunate,” said Rosenberger. “From the get-go, I’ve had outstanding coaches that work with me. A lot has to be said about my wife and my children. My kids grew up in the program. The girls were on the sidelines probably from kindergarten all the way up. But they’ve put up with a lot of empty nights during the course of my career here, and I’m fortunate to have a great family at home.”

In addition to his immediate family, he now has extended family members — relationships that will last a lifetime.

“I enjoy teaching young men,” said Roseberger, whose career record is 169-121. “But the biggest thing is just seeing the kids going from kids to young men and being husbands and having their own children now. That’s special when you see that, to see how they grew as young men. I feel very fortunate, very lucky being able to have a positive impact on so many kids’ lives over the years, and have such a close-knit coaching group that I’m not only coaching with but are friends.”