By Brian Carroll –
For most Strath Haven fans, or really anyone with awareness of Strath Haven’s juggernaut football program in large parts of four decades, it would probably seen like a fairly innocuous moment. A rescheduled junior varsity game on an October Monday evening where the Panthers had dispatched a courageous but undermanned Harriton team was wrapping up, and this author was looking for a post-game interview with a couple of the contest’s elder statesmen. #65 Mike Mapps, a senior offensive lineman, jogged over first, and then followed by a fellow senior, linebacker and special teams ace, #17 Christian DeShields. And before I could even reach into my pocket for my phone to record their thoughts, DeShields hollered over to the sideline to summon tackle #76 Cullen Reardon. “Cullen, get over here! Let’s go!,” with DeShields determined to include his classmate in about 90-seconds of postgame video glory for the team’s website. And with that seemingly minor and friendly command to a teammate, DeShields was unknowingly paying tribute to Strath Haven’s longtime Head Coach.
Standing off on his own during this interaction, in the background as he preferred, was their Head Coach Kevin Clancy. He didn’t officially coach the game that evening, leaving that to his relatively small, but longtime and tightly-knit staff that includes another former Head Coach at Haven, multiple Haven alumni, and even immediate family. But Coach Clancy’s fingertips were all over this game, scheduled and then rescheduled to make sure that Harriton’s interrupted season and Haven’s junior varsity players had a few hours under the bright lights. His signature Wing-T offense, though being executed by younger and less experienced Panthers, was in fully dominant form, with attention to the tiniest details at the forefront. Sportsmanship amongst players, coaches, and officials, was a given. And most importantly, that brief postgame interview, with one of his high-character seniors making sure his teammate was celebrated, reflected a larger and more meaningful impact that Clancy has had on so many young men.
With Monday’s announcement that the 5th winningest coach in Pennsylvania high school history was retiring, many articles will deservingly amplify Coach Clancy’s myriad on-field accomplishments. Yet for all the reasons that Coach Clancy could pat himself on the back, especially in an electronic society trending more and more obnoxiously toward “look at ME,” Haven’s steadfast leader since 1991 has remarkably and wholeheartedly preached “WE.” Thus, I am 100 percent certain that Coach Clancy’s incredible humility will cause him to cringe at nearly every word of praise for him, this article included. It amazed me how many times in the 25 years of broadcasting his team when I was on the field during pregame and a reporter or even opposing coach (!) would ask me as the Panthers warmed up, “Which one is Clancy?” In those moments, the devil on my shoulder would want to blurt out something like, “You mean the guy with nearly 400 career wins at Archbishop Carroll and Strath Haven?!?! A District 1 record 13 District titles at Haven?!?! Dozens of college players, and five who played in the NFL?!?!? A 94-game winning streak within District 1 that stretched over parts of 8 seasons, included four straight trips to the state finals, and the only two PIAA State Championships ever won by a Delaware County public school?!?!?”
Thankfully, I bit my tongue in every instance, and would politely point out the guy in the khaki pants and black pullover, dressed just like everyone else on his staff. I would drop the hint that after the game, he would be the guy standing alone immediately behind his line of players as, regardless of an exhilarating win or devastating loss, they sway to the Strath Haven Marching Band belting out the Alma Mater. After a post-game huddle with his team, then and only then, would reporters and others get a chance for a few quotes from Coach, who always credited his opponents, his players who worked the hardest, and his staff.
With the possible exception of other District 1 playoff opponents, the 2026 Panthers’ season ended last season sooner than many had hoped, and perhaps a bit ironically and poetically to an Interboro team that, in Clancy-esque fashion, threw and completed only one pass and was coached by one of Coach Clancy’s former players, Pat Fisher. Other sturdy branches of the Clancy coaching tree intertwine throughout the Central League, the Philadelphia Public league, and in several states around the country. From a pure football standpoint, Coach Clancy’s legacy is widespread with deep roots.
Still, it is no accident that the individual responses to Coach Clancy’s retirement pouring in over the last 24 hours are far broader than a list of football strategies or statistics. As his tenure at Strath Haven spanned parts of four decades, stories about Kevin Clancy will almost certainly be shared amongst both fathers and sons who played for him. Those families, and literally thousands of other Panther football players and opponents, saw up close that attention to detail matters. Paired with hard work, those details could result in some success, but only if it happens when everyone buys in and works together, even senior players contributing to a weeknight JV game. And win or lose, a healthy dose of class and character is the expectation, not the exception.
Phones have been buzzing with texts and (in my case, tearful) conversations amongst so many who are both sad to see him go, and happy for him to spend more time with his wonderful wife Alex and their nine grown children with growing families. And while so many at Strath Haven will fairly and perhaps nervously wonder, “What’s next?”, Coach Clancy’s dedication and commitment as a pillar in the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, the Central League, and beyond should be reassurance enough that the next Head Coach will arrive on solid ground. On behalf of all of us at www.havenfootball.net and so many others in the community, we thank Coach Kevin Clancy, for 36 wonderful seasons setting the bar high on our fields and in community!
