2011 Coaches

Chris Bockrath – “Beloved” is

the word that first comes to mind when thinking of Bockrath, the late football

coach at Archbishop Kennedy High and Kennedy-Kenrick High. There is possibly no

coach to come out of Montgomery County who garnered that same level of respect.

A native of Montgomery County, Bockrath graduated from Delaware Valley College

in 1970 and was prepared to take a job in the food industry business when a

teaching and coaching position opened at Archbishop Kennedy High in

Conshohocken. For the next 21 years Bockrath worked to build a respected

football program at the tiny school. His career record of 124-82-6 included 10

outright league championships and another three co-championships. He then took

over the reigns at Kennedy-Kenrick High, after the merger and unified the two

schools quickly. His football teams finished undefeated in 1993 and 1995.

Despite is love for the school, his success caused his former college to come

calling and Bockrath accepted the job as head football coach at Delaware Valley

College. Unfortunately, he never got to live out the last part of his coaching

dream because he died of a heart attack at age 49 in 1997.

Tom Shirley –

He has crafted a 30-year coaching career that puts him at the top of his profession

in terms of achievement. After a seven-year stint at DeSales University in

Allentown, where his women’s basketball team was a three-time NAIA District 19

champion and recorded seven 20-win seasons, the Plymouth Whitemarsh High product

found his true home at Philadelphia University (then Textile University). He

finished the 2010-11 season with a 607-281 career record that makes him

Philadelphia’s winningest active women’s basketball coach. Currently he ranks

fourth among women’s Division II coaches in career victories. At Philadelphia

University Shirley’s teams have posted 16 20-plus win seasons and 19 consecutive

times his team qualified for a post-season tournament. His teams won two ECAC

championships and has been a 10-time ECAC finalist. In 1993 Shirley was named

the AWSF Division II National Coach of the Year. Also that year he was named the

Converse District Coach of the Year. Shrley is a member of the De Sales

University Hall of Fame, as well as the Philadelphia University Hall of Fame.

Barb Clipsham – During her

25-year tenure as a Methacton High, Barb Clipsham crafted a field hockey dynasty

that has spread its roots and lives to other programs across the country. And

all of this was done in a program that had absolutely no history of success, nor

winning tradition, before her arrival. Clipsham won her first of two state

titles in 1989 with a 2-0 win over West Chester East, avenging a 2-1 loss in the

state final in 1985. Clipsham, whose unbeaten 1989 team also won the District 1

AAA title while giving up only two goals all season, guided the Warriors to the

state crown again in 1995 with a 3-0 win over Ridley. The win was the 300th for

Clipsham who then retired. She finished with 99 losses and 27 ties. Clipsham,

who amassed eight Suburban One League American Conference Freedom Division

titles, consistently sent student-athletes to the Division I level and is most

proud of the 100 percent graduation rate of those players. “That’s really what

I’m most proud of,” said Clipsham, who taught Social Studies at Methacton until

her retirement in 2005. Most notable among the scholar athletes was Sam Salvia,

an all-state performer on the 1989 who went on to play at powerhouse Old

Dominion University and was a Rhodes Scholar The list of outstanding all-state,

Division I-level players who came out of Methacton under Clipsham’s guidance

includes Maegan Galie, Christy Morgan, Kristen Winters, Kristen Daddona, Kelly

Daddona, Denise Wernersbach, Colleen Kreiger, Kelly Kreiger, Meredith

Mandracchia, Sherry DeMito and Michele DeMito. Many of Clipsham’s former players

went on to become successful head coaches. Winters, for example, led James

Madison University to a national championship with three Methacton alums in the

lineup. Clipsham also made a name for herself beyond the scholastic level,

coaching at the 1989 Junior Olympics and 1992 Olympic Festival, both in San

Antonio, Texas. She also coached in the Future’s Program, the Keystone State

games and has been a guest speaker at many prestigious coaching clinics.

2011 Community Coaches

Honor Roll Inductees

Dave

Fusco – David Fusco was the driving forcee behind the burgeoning

bocce movement in Montgomery County. After founding the Norristown Bocce League

(NBL) at Elmwood Park in Norristown and teaching many adults how to play the

game, as well as organizing leagues, he turned to charity activities. He

introduced bocce to the Special Olympic program, as well as being involved in

Making Strides against Breast Cancer, PAL Day and volunteering at the Norristown

State Hospital. More than 600 credit their involvement in the game of bocce to

Fusco and bocce facilities have been built in communities throughout Montgomery

County.

Don

Stemple – Donald Stemple has been named to the Honor Roll for his

longtime work with CYO teams in West Conshohocken. He coached for 43 years, with

affiliations to St. Gertrude’s, Sts. Cosmas and Damian and Conshohocken Catholic

grade schools. His main concentration was basketball but he also coached the

West Conshohocken Raiders 80-pound football team for five years. For one year he

coached basketball and football at the old St. Matthew’s High School.

BeBe McPherson

– BeBe McPherson has coached CYO girls bassketball,

softball and volleyball since 1977. She laid the groundwork for many girls to

pursue high school and college athletic careers. She follows a tradition of

volunteerism, as her father, the late Charles McPherson, was named to the

Community Coaches Honor Roll in 2004.