My Dad, the Winningest Coach

14Last 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.

3 thoughts on “My Dad, the Winningest Coach

  1. Pingback: Anonymous

  2. Steve, I played for your dad from 91-93. I bet you were one of the buzzed hair cut boys on the side lines throwing the ball around. Your dad has shaped a lot of boys into men, good father’s and citizens. I’m happy to see how proud you are of him

Leave a Reply to Anonymous Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.