Coaching in Dan Connor's blood
Following the end of his six-year NFL career, Dan Connor joined West Chester University's football staff as a volunteer assistant in the spring of 2014.
Following the end of his six-year NFL career, Dan Connor joined West Chester University's football staff as a volunteer assistant in the spring of 2014.
It took little time for Golden Rams boss Bill Zwaan to get a sense that the former Strath Haven and Penn State star linebacker had what it took to be a solid coach.
"I was really impressed with the way he related to our college guys," Zwaan said. "He got the kids on board right away and got them to understand what he wanted them to do."
After two years as West Chester's linebackers and special-teams coach, Connor, who played at Strath Haven from 2000 to 2003, was announced as the new football leader at Archbishop Carroll on Thursday.
After making a jaw-dropping 419 tackles and becoming Penn State's all-time leader in that category, Connor had stints in the NFL with the Panthers, Cowboys, and Giants. Multiple injuries (he underwent six surgeries) took their toll on him.
"It's always tough to give it up," Connor said. "It's a physical game and injuries are part of it. I have no regrets. I was able to play for six years in the NFL."
Two or three years into his pro career, Connor began putting together a notebook that would aid in his eventual transition from player to coach.
"A lot of it was motivational and organizational stuff that I learned from the coaches I played under," said the 30-year-old, who lives with his wife, Angela, and two young boys, Murphy and Jack, in Broomall.
In the NFL, Connor was coached by John Fox, Jason Garrett, Tom Coughlin, and Ron Rivera. At Penn State he had Joe Paterno and linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden. And Kevin Clancy at Strath Haven.
Of working the last two seasons with Zwaan, Connor said, "He's had a huge impact on me when it comes to coaching."
Coaching is in Connor's blood. His father, Jim, was the defensive coordinator at Strath Haven and now serves the same role at Cardinal O'Hara. His brother Mike, 33, is also part of O'Hara's staff, working primarily with the linebackers. His other brother, Jim, 35, is the head coach at Chicago's Norwell High.
The obvious question for Dan Connor: Will his father and Mike be joining him at Archbishop Carroll?
"I'm still in the early stages of building a staff," he said. "But, for right now, they seem committed to Cardinal O'Hara."
Zwaan remembers watching Connor in his final high school game, a 3-0 loss to Manheim Central in a PIAA Class AAA state semifinal in front of an overflow crowd at windswept Coatesville High.
"I think he made every tackle that day," said Zwaan, a 1972 graduate of Archbishop Carroll. "And when Strath Haven went on offense, they gave him the ball every single time. It was pretty amazing."
Stepping down. Galen Snyder, the head coach at Pennsbury for the last 14 seasons, announced his resignation Friday. He compiled a 116-48 record, won four Suburban One League National Conference championships, and earned two District 1 Class AAAA crowns (2006 and 2014).
Snyder said he wants the chance to see his son, Luke, a senior who stood out at linebacker for the Falcons, play in college.
Adam Collachi has resigned as Council Rock North's head coach after six years. Last season, he guided the Indians to a 7-4 mark, the Suburban One League Continental Conference title, and a third straight berth in the district playoffs.
"At the end of the day, it came down to family," said Collachi, who posted a 31-32 mark. "I wasn't spending enough time with them."
The eldest of Collachi's three boys, Noah, is a 6-foot, 250-pound sophomore defensive lineman at Central Bucks South.
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