The resignations of Head Coach Drew Gordon, Offensive Coordinator Brett Gordon, and Defensive Coordinator John Steinmetz have put La Salle football in an unfamiliar position regarding an internal succession plan. The last time that a head coach was named outside of the current coaching staff was in 1949, when Johnny Meyers left Ambler High to succeed Bernie Bradley, who left La Salle after the 1948 season to become line coach at Villanova.
Meyers had modest success in 1949 and 1950, but the 1951 Little Explorers crashed to a 0-10-0 record. Meyers was replaced by assistant Jim Gallagher '43, who turned the 1951 record completely around in 1955 with his 10-0-0 City Titlists.
But perhaps the most difficult transition occurred in September of 1922, when Lou Little, coach of La Salle's 7-1-0 team of 1921, resigned just weeks before the start of the 1922 season. Little played for the Frankford Yellowjackets between 1920 and 1923, and went on to great coaching fame at Georgetown and Columbia.
The 1922 team was left in the inexperienced hands of Phil Barry, who guided the Blue and Gold to an 0-5-2 record. Also, the 1923 team went winless under new coach Hank Brett.
A good succession plan has provided the continuity in the coaching staff as well as provided opportunities for new ideas and strategies, and ultimately, success. Jim Gallagher, Tex Flannery, Joe Colistra, and Drew Gordon are great examples of those succession plans at La Salle, each providing their own distinct fingerprint on the Explorer football program when they took charge.
Augmenting the head coach, La Salle's coaching staff has been a great combination of continuity, depth, knowledge, passion, and example, and has always been critical to the success of the program. Hope is that other key members of the staff will remain in place for the 2015 season, but that is yet to be determined until a new head coach is announced.
Meyers had modest success in 1949 and 1950, but the 1951 Little Explorers crashed to a 0-10-0 record. Meyers was replaced by assistant Jim Gallagher '43, who turned the 1951 record completely around in 1955 with his 10-0-0 City Titlists.
But perhaps the most difficult transition occurred in September of 1922, when Lou Little, coach of La Salle's 7-1-0 team of 1921, resigned just weeks before the start of the 1922 season. Little played for the Frankford Yellowjackets between 1920 and 1923, and went on to great coaching fame at Georgetown and Columbia.
The 1922 team was left in the inexperienced hands of Phil Barry, who guided the Blue and Gold to an 0-5-2 record. Also, the 1923 team went winless under new coach Hank Brett.
A good succession plan has provided the continuity in the coaching staff as well as provided opportunities for new ideas and strategies, and ultimately, success. Jim Gallagher, Tex Flannery, Joe Colistra, and Drew Gordon are great examples of those succession plans at La Salle, each providing their own distinct fingerprint on the Explorer football program when they took charge.
Augmenting the head coach, La Salle's coaching staff has been a great combination of continuity, depth, knowledge, passion, and example, and has always been critical to the success of the program. Hope is that other key members of the staff will remain in place for the 2015 season, but that is yet to be determined until a new head coach is announced.