My Dad, the Winningest Coach
Last night was a big night for my father. After 20 more than years of coaching football at Archbishop Carroll and Strath Haven he won his 227th game, making him the winningest coach in Delaware County history. He passed a legend he coached against in his early years at Strath Haven, Joe McNicholas of Ridley. I am sure my dad is more embarrassed by any attention he gets for this, surely the win was not his alone. Its still a great accomplishment though and I regret not being there for it.
This win is even more special for my dad since Strath Haven has not been a strong as they were in past years. Last year they missed the playoffs and this year they didn’t win the Central League. But they are District 1 AAA Champions and they’ll move into the state playoffs. Here’s a little piece from the always praiseful John Lohn:
Behind a 21-3 victory over Unionville, Strath Haven notched its ninth District One Class AAA title in the past 10 years and its 10th since 1993. More, the Panthers performance handed Clancy his 227th triumph, making the 51 year-old the winningest coach in Delaware County history. He moved one victory ahead of the legendary Joe McNicholas of Ridley.
By earning his milestone triumph, Clancy linked three decades of players, athletes who dressed under his watch at Archbishop Carroll (1982-90) and the players he’s guided at Strath Haven since his 1991 arrived.
“This one was for us, but was more for Coach Clancy,� said Steve Johnson, who spearheaded a stellar defensive effort from his linebacker position. “We all knew about this accomplishment. He’s a guy who goes out there every day and works so hard. He deserves this big time.�
Clancy, in accordance with his me-last demeanor, saw the win over Unionville in a vastly different light. It was about a group of teenagers pulling together and completing a journey to the top of Class AAA heap in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Interestingly enough another coaching legend, Berwick’s George Curry, announced his retirement. He has coached for 35 years and has 387 wins. So my dad has plenty of football ahead of him. Anyway, just wanted to say congratulations Dad. I’m really proud of you.
We came across this today and have take the liberty to publish a link on our web pages at http://www.havenfootball.net.
Very nicely done.
Mike Mayer
January 22, 2006 at 8:06 am
[...] The notion of being arrested for being annoying seems ridiculous upon first glance and it seems unlikely that anyone would actually pursue a case like this. Annonymity on the internet has led to some very interesting discussion that could not come out any other way. Speaking publiclly on the Internet can also become annoying. I don’t try to hide my identity on this site and as a result a tribute to my dad is being shared with dozens of football fans. This is an example of how public blogging led to mild public embaressment. Now, imagine if I wrote something damaging about my dad or the football program elsewhere on the site – I would be in a ton of trouble. [...]
Quiet Kid » Civilizing the Wild Internet
January 26, 2006 at 12:27 am