Middle-school teacher Bill Coren has provided the Upper Darby School District with 35 years of dedicated service. Coren has taught 8th grade at Beverly Hills Middle School right after attending college and has thoroughly enjoyed it, he said.
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| Strath Haven track coach Bill Coren and girls team Photo by Mark Souders
COA Qualifier Strath Haven's coach, Bill Coren
video by PennTrackXC.com
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Coren is originally from Springfield, Delaware County and began his education in the Springfield School District. After graduating from high school, he pursued a degree from Dickenson College with a B.A., Saint Joseph’s University for his master’s, and University of Pennsylvania for his Doctorate degree in education.
Coren has received an award for Pennsylvania State Coach twice and has won some state titles over the years. In his profession he has earned 350 wins and 20 losses as a track-and-field and cross-country coach.
Now as Strath Haven High School’s coach, retired from teaching at the middle school, is getting paid for the sport of cross-country and track-and-field for about twenty years. He coaches spring and winter with both sports.
Now that Coren has become the age of 61 he said he is eager to move on with zest and courage to see his career through to the end. At coaching, he is still providing service to the kids to help them to win and have fun, his number one priority.
Coren talked about what it was like to be one of the most exciting and vibrant coaches for the Upper Darby and Strath Haven School Districts during a recent interview.
Q: Why did you choose athletics to be your career?
COREN: I was a teacher for eighth grade Upper Darby High School and just out of college and was asked by the school to come in and coach football, wrestling, and track. At that time I wanted to coach because that was a fun thing to do. In college I wanted to be a lawyer and taught half a year to students. I really enjoyed myself. I told my wife that I am not going to law school. I’m going to be a teacher instead.
Q: When did you decide that this is what you are going to do?
COREN: I had started teaching and there were programs open, coaching. I wanted to do it with the kids! There is an ego emotion to want to do this also. It is more important for kids to have fun than to win, but winning also makes it fun! There was a most recent survey done about playing sports saying you are there to have fun rather than to win!
Q: At what age did you start doing this career?
COREN: I started in the year 1970 at age 22. You do not have to have a degree to do this. I had a college background when I started, but did not have to have schooling to do coaching.
Q: Did you get inspired when you were in school to do this?
COREN: I was an athlete in high school, but was not a great one at it. I wanted to be a coach and to become one. My uncle was a football coach and also my godfather. They sort of had fun with what they were doing! This was the most influential inspiring time of my life.
Q: What sports in school did you participate in?
COREN: I ran cross country, participated in wrestling, and ran track in high school. In middle school I just wrestled. Later in college I did not participate in anything except in my fraternity with league ball.
Q: What is a normal day for you at your job?
COREN: I come into the Athletic Director’s office in the morning. I call-in about 10:30 – 11:00 a.m. to see if anything is happening and school is ok. At about 2:00 p.m. I come in and sit around for half hour and talk to the director. I figure out what work-outs are going to be for that day and type up a lineup for kids so that they know what section they are in for the meet, what time they run, etc. Practice is at 3:15 to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Friday and Saturday is our meets which last from 3:30 to 1:30 a.m. My wife has to tolerate all of this.
Q: When you are winning in a meet, do you strive to better yourself more or stay that way until the meet is over?
COREN: I try to keep the score down as much as possible. I run the good kids against the bad kids. I try to shut them out from winning. It is not a game to run up the score against another team. Winning 120 to 10 rather than 130 to 10 is the way that I think it should be.
Q: Is that a hard job to do being a coach?
COREN: There is a lot to it, but it’s more fun than difficult. I don’t think a person off the street who comes in and takes the coaching program will be nearly as successful. Once there is a program set up then we just seem to get good kids. Part of this is a tradition, part coaching, and therefore kids that have good talent come out to try out and get on a team.
Q: Did you have to go to college to be a coach?
COREN: Probably not. I would say, no. To be a teacher you have to go to college. You can be a coach without ever having to go to school and reaching a degree. You have to have the knowledge. A lot of schools in Philly have coaches with just a teacher’s degree. They would pick a person for the coaching job that has some sort of degree over someone that does not have one.
Q: What do you prefer, playing indoors or outdoors?
COREN: Distance running girls do two weeks outdoors on their own and workouts indoors. When spring comes along, both cross-country and track are outdoors. I don’t care where we work out whether indoors or out. I don’t prefer one over the other.
Q: How do you use your leadership skills to help cross-country and track strive to win a meet?
COREN: Kids usually reflect the coach. If the coach is a leader and expects to win, then that is what the kids expect. At Strath Haven, we know our reputation. We are here to have fun number one priority, but to win is number two. And we keep it fun. The shirts the girls wear have flowers on them. For the girls, I make it so number one priority is the sport that they are playing, number two is boys, and number three is school when it comes to playing a sport for us. Good leaders have good teams. They have talent. Strath Haven is a great place to coach!
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