Charles Ash “Pie” Way Way was born in Embreeville, PA on December 29, 1897. Way attended Downingtown schools and graduated from Downingtown High School in 1916 where he played basketball, baseball, football and track, competing against other Chester County Schools like West Chester, Coatesville, Berwyn, Oxford and Kennett Square. After brief service in the US Army during World War I, Way began an outstanding collegiate and professional football career. He played college football at Pennsylvania State University, where he was a consensus All-American as a halfback in 1920.

After leading the 1920 Penn State Nittany Lions football team to an undefeated season, the small (5 ft. 8in, 144 lb.) but speedy Way began his professional career in the National Football League (NFL) with the Canton Bulldogs in 1921. In 1924, he played with fellow Nittany Lion Punk Berryman’s Frankford Yellow Jackets, where he earned All-Pro recognition. In 1926 he played for the Philadelphia Quakers of the American Football League (AFL) which won the league championship that year. It was said at the time that he enjoyed the strategy as well as the ferocity of the game.

Way served as the head football coach at the University of Dayton in 1921. He coached Allentown High School’s football, baseball and basketball teams in 1922. He also coached at Virginia Tech in 1925. He played a little semi-professional basketball for a couple of teams in the Eastern League and ran a semi-pro basketball club himself in 1928 and 1929.

Way earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from Penn State in 1921. After retiring from football, Way returned to Downingtown where he ran a taxi and insurance business and followed that with a 27- year career with the Internal Revenue Service, retiring in 1963.

Way died on January 31, 1988 at Hickory House Nursing Home in Honey Brook, PA. He is buried at Grove Methodist Church outside West Chester. He was married to Helen Parker and they had one daughter, Florence, who was born in 1926. Florence was the only survivor at Way’s passing. Like her father, Florence also worked for the Internal Revenue Service. She died in 2013 at Saint Martha’s Manor in Downingtown.