Football: Gil Brooks resigns from Camden Catholic

By Phil Anastasia

Gil Brooks has resigned as head football coach at Camden Catholic.

Brooks, who is an attorney with Duane Morris LLP in Cherry Hill, said he had "struggled" this season to balance his commitment to both work and coaching.

"It just got to be too much," Brooks said Friday afternoon. "I really wrestled with it all season long. I'm lucky enough to be busy at work and it just because too much of a time commitment to try to do both."

Brooks, who spent 18 seasons as coach at St. Joseph's Prep in Philadelphia, was 17-5 in two seasons as Camden Catholic's head coach. He led the Irish to a 10-1 record and the Non-Public 2 state title game in 2011.

Camden Catholic was 7-4 this season.

Brooks was Camden Catholic's defensive coordinator in 2010 under Rick Brown, now the offensive coordinator at Eastern.

"The administration was great, the kids were great," Brooks said of Camden Catholic. "The one thing I feel good about is that we're leaving a good foundation for future success. We kind of bit the bullet a little this year and went young."

Camden Catholic president Jeff Nick thanked Brooks in a statement and said the school would form a committee "immediately" to find the new coach.

"We are grateful for the time Gil has spent with our student-athletes laying a strong foundation for a successful program," Nick said. "A committee will be formed immediately to begin the search for his predecessor."

Camden Catholic's next coach will the program's third in the last four seasons after Brown and Brooks.

-- Phil Anastasia