I don’t have to much insight on this but what I do Know is Gentile was getting ready to retire. He wanted to coach the 100th thanksgiving game. Which I believe This years game is the 99th
Upper Darby
- Thread starter DDRTC
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I made my bed. I've never tried to make excuses for what I said. That was something I was willing to take the fall for. The way I went about things wasn't a one time reactive facebook post on our alumni page. I coached there for almost 10 years. Over the course of those 10 years there were meetings with admin (Super, AD, Principal). Every year we met and the same issues were brought up and brought to their attention. Year after year NOTHING changed. I'll be honest, after having my second kid I realized I didn't want to be a head coach. I would not have applied for the job if Gentile retired while I was there. I was perfectly fine with being an assistant. But I was not going to let these problems continue. I spoke up to our alumni....they spoke up....things changed.....I was fired. It is was it is. Things changed and the people that benefited the most from it are the people who deserve it more than anyone....THE KIDS.
PAfootball- Cville and Imhotep are very diff from UD. I would say AP and PW are the closest in comparison.
PAfootball- Cville and Imhotep are very diff from UD. I would say AP and PW are the closest in comparison.
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There's no issue speaking up for what you believe in especially for the kids sake.
UD, Penn Wood, AP, are all Delco schools with a direct border to the city and get a transient population of students that come from a multitude of places. Each job requires much more than a traditional football coach. UD will require twice as much due to the larger population and the breadth of the district. The major strength and drawback is the location. There a number of private school options for residents that won't consider UD at all. Times have changed and the admins have to look beyond the field and see the entire landscape.
So if we assume he wanted to coach 2 more years including the 100th Turkey day game, and the administration wanted to fire him intermediately, it sounds like 1 more year was a fair compromise. What else could have been dome by the administration?
So this x1000 should give everyone some insight. The outsized importance of a thanksgiving game that is of another era. The importance placed on one person coaching in a milestone game or beating a rival on way out the door.
Foot I should have said a PIAA playoff game not state. UD won one before Haverford. Neither have done much in Districts forever. In one man’s opinion the outsized importance of the thanksgiving game in a PIAA playoff era hasn’t served UD or Haverford well. Hurts in playoff seeding, isn’t that big of a community thing(a CYO game outdrew it last year) and has served as a crutch measuring stick when talented teams fall short. Love tradition but not like either place has a storied football tradition. They have played a football game for a long time.
Garnet Valley wants to win the district. Would like to win Central League. No one at Ridley says at end of year we got beat in districts but it’s a successful season because we beat Interboro. UD would like to win Central League but wants to beat Haverford. The same been true at Haverford for years. I have theories why but it’s real.
If you are taking the UD job as an outsider I think it’s because you are intrigued about what it might be not what it is. Don’t think your aspiration is winning or coaching on a Thanksgiving. Is this what admin and community want? Essentially what is important and what are we trying to accomplish because doing it has extreme challenges to begin with. So are we trying to be 9-3 and beat Haverford or are we trying to make noise at Districts? Think the high level candidates would be intrigued at latter possibility. When people talk sleeping giants there are often multiple factors why that may be. Think coaching community pretty leery of this particular situation.
That must have been a packed cyo game. I was At the ud game last year and the stands were just about full. The district title game is the week before thanksgiving. Which means only one local team left standing. So what’s wrong with having that traditional game. That time to bring old alumni together. A time to bring classmates together who may only see each other once a year at that game. What’s wrong with having a rival. What’s wrong with having a day to have pride in your community and your school.
People think of two things on thanksgiving. Turkey and football.
I do agree that this hurts both teams Playoff seedings because they don’t play each other during the season.
The piaa in their greed have tried to ruin the thanksgiving day games. I as A former player am glad to see that a few more schools are adding a thanksgiving day game this year and next.
People think of two things on thanksgiving. Turkey and football.
I do agree that this hurts both teams Playoff seedings because they don’t play each other during the season.
The piaa in their greed have tried to ruin the thanksgiving day games. I as A former player am glad to see that a few more schools are adding a thanksgiving day game this year and next.
Just to be clear. I dont think that game should supersede wanting you win in the playoffs
Final 2 for the UD job. The front runner seems to be Dave Barr. Was Bonner’s 9th grade coach the last few years. Had stints in college as well. Not sure who the 2nd person is.
Dipnrip I’ll stand by the original comment. I was at said game last year. It was far from packed. In fact sparsely attended. Other than year where it was for Central League title it’s not something that generates a lot of community interest.
Clearly you have never been to a Dots-Bernies thanksgiving day game. It outdraws this and is an actual crazy site to behold. This is a relic of the past at HS level. Kids hate it. It hurts both programs playoff wise and the thinking behind wanting to coach in the 100th game of a game that essentially doesn’t count in the standings is part of reason two large programs haven’t been as successful as they would like at District time.
At bare minimum you play twice like Marple and Penncrest do this year. Even then good luck keeping kids interested for five weeks to play essentially a glorified exhibition game. I love tradition but these guys gotta get out of 1995. In a sport losing numbers like crazy asking kids to wait five weeks to play one game after being in full practice mode since August 1st is insane.
Clearly you have never been to a Dots-Bernies thanksgiving day game. It outdraws this and is an actual crazy site to behold. This is a relic of the past at HS level. Kids hate it. It hurts both programs playoff wise and the thinking behind wanting to coach in the 100th game of a game that essentially doesn’t count in the standings is part of reason two large programs haven’t been as successful as they would like at District time.
At bare minimum you play twice like Marple and Penncrest do this year. Even then good luck keeping kids interested for five weeks to play essentially a glorified exhibition game. I love tradition but these guys gotta get out of 1995. In a sport losing numbers like crazy asking kids to wait five weeks to play one game after being in full practice mode since August 1st is insane.
If the UD-HAV game allowed people to booze on the sidelines like dots/Bernie’s, I think attendance would pick up.
I stand By my original comment. And I ask You to re read my post about the game. I’m not sure you understood it. It an anomaly for the game to be 5 weeks after the season. This year for haverford it’s only 1 week off. If the piaa didn’t push the schedule to two weeks before Labor Day there would only be a two week break from seasons end. And if this so called game is an exhibition. Shall we award coach Gentile with a central league title from the 2015 season?
Now that it sounds like we’re down to two guys. Is your guy still in the running?
I read and understood. So the jist is if the PIAA didn’t move the schedule then the game makes sense in your opinion. I don’t agree for multiple reasons. First the PIAA isn’t changing so again that thinking in the past. What’s here is here.
Second I’d argue it made even less sense in the past. The district playoffs were later. So if you made any progress you were left with the possibility of not playing it or pulling an Easton. So if as a program you had playoff aspirations the old format was more problematic. How many times has Interboro/Ridley had to be canceled.
This game born of different time. It’s actually unfair to rest of League. It’s only had championship game implications twice in like 40 years. CB West used to play East before state playoffs. Once they had playoff aspirations game moved. That was 30 years ago.
Haverford and Upper Darby never had playoff aspirations as evidenced by the importance of keeping this game. Importance of coaching 100th version. It’s a reflection of mentalities.
We are in middle of farewell tour for a coach who the administration doesn’t want to coach the team anymore. He’s done a ton for kids there but the powers to be there feel like he’s underachieved for years. The fact that they let you stay and you choose to stay is beyond odd when they want you gone. Reeks of dysfunction and distraction. One of the most bizarre things I’ve ever seen. Kinda like being only two teams playing a league game that counts in the standings after the playoffs are past. How can anyone think that makes sense?
You are still not getting my point. I agreed With you that playoffs are more important and I cant Speak for a coach wanting to coach when the admin doesn’t want him. My point is about community and alumni. It’s a time to gather and take pride in your school. Especially for the kids coming home from college.
Let’s face it the playoffs are a broken system. Of 4a 5a and 6a which teams are always standing. Your not getting past the prep. So should expectations every year be beating st joes.
There’s nothing wrong with tradition or thanksgiving games when neither team is playing. If one of them are still playing the game gets cancelled that year. It’s happened at other schools.
Maybe I’m new school with an old school heart. But I feel I’m more right then wrong in evidence of schools adding that game.
Let’s face it the playoffs are a broken system. Of 4a 5a and 6a which teams are always standing. Your not getting past the prep. So should expectations every year be beating st joes.
There’s nothing wrong with tradition or thanksgiving games when neither team is playing. If one of them are still playing the game gets cancelled that year. It’s happened at other schools.
Maybe I’m new school with an old school heart. But I feel I’m more right then wrong in evidence of schools adding that game.
Not sure honestly, I just know of two known names that applied. And were also “final 2”
One I’m sure they may not hire because of the optics and I’m not certain the other is completely out of it. To be fair I have heard the guy from Bonner mentioned a few weeks back.