2021 Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame Banquet

Five accomplished coaches with stellar records in their respective sports comprise the 2021 Class of the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. In addition, they will be joined by five volunteer coaches who will enter the Community Coaches Honor Roll.

They will be the centerpiece of the 19th annual induction banquet on Tuesday, November 23 at Presidential Caterers in East Norriton.

Introducing the newest class of inductees:

CLASS OF 2021 COACHES HALL OF FAME

• Randy Garber - Randy Garber was an All-American and professional soccer player, whose coaching career proved to be every bit as outstanding as his playing days at Abington High School and beyond. Garber worked his way up the coaching ladder. He began in the youth soccer ranks and was named the 1996 NSCAA Youth Soccer Coach of the Year. In 1997 he was named the Eastern PA Youth Soccer Coach of the Year. And in 2007 he was named the Southeastern PA Coaches Association Coach of the Year. In 2012 he also received the Eastern PA Youth Soccer Excellence in Coaching Award. He then took over the reins of the Abington High soccer program. His teams won the 2012 PIAA District One championship and were District One finalists three other times (1993, 2007, 2012). Garber has been honored with induction into three other Hall of Fames -- Southeastern PA Soccer HOF, Mercer County College HOF, Abington High School HOF.

• Tim Hughes - To say that the girls’ softball program at Spring-Ford High is synonymous with Tim Hughes would be an understatement. As head coach from 1997 to the present, he has established a record of dominance that would be hard to beat in any sport. His overall record is 449-116-1 (.793 winning percentage).With Hughes at the helm, Spring-Ford has won 12 PAC 10 championships and two District championships. The team has 25 straight District appearances that led to three straight State Semi-Final appearances and nine straight trips to the State tournament. The latest highlight was an undefeated regular season in 2021, which came to an end in the state tournament with a loss to Haverford. He was inducted into the Tri-County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

• Mary Ann Harris - All that Mary Ann Harris did was to compile Hall of Fame-worthy accomplishments in two different sports – at two different schools. At Ursinus College she won the NCAA National Lacrosse Championship in 1983, helping to elevate and cement the Lady Bears' national reputation for both player and coaching excellence. Her 20-year tenure (1992-2011) at the helm of the Souderton High School field hockey program yielded a remarkable 300-107-25 record with 10 Conference Championships, 4 District Titles, and 10 State Tournament appearances. All of this came after an incredible playing career. Harris was a 15-year member and captain of the U.S. National Field Hockey team. She is an inductee into both the U.S. National Field Hockey Association Hall of Fame and Temple University Hall of Fame. She also was inducted into the Ursinus College Hall of Fame, the Souderton/North Penn High Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (Montco Chapter).

• Bob Peffle - Truly a coach for all seasons, Bob's teams won championships in all three sports he guided. As the long-time (28 years, 600 games!) soccer coach of LaSalle College High School(1987-2014), Bob boasted a 402-132-66 overall record, 7 Philadelphia Catholic League(PCL) Championships and 4 additional PCL Finalist appearances. Those seasons alone produced an astounding 107-14-21 record(.754 winning percentage). His 2011 undefeated PCL(15-0) squad produced 6 All-PCL players and coached over 100 PCL All-Catholic selections. Overlapping, as the Frankford High Wrestling coach, Bob won 10 straight Philadelphia Public League Championships, losing only one league match! He added 3 PIAA district 12 Championships to this incredible run that spanned 23 seasons(1984-2006) with an astounding 429-72 overall record(.856 winning %). Concurrently, to continue his winning ways into the spring season as the Frankford High Head Baseball Coach(1989-2007), Bob produced 5 PPL Championships, 3-time PPL Finalist, 2 PIAA District 12 Championships and 1 Finalist, managed 76 All-Public players and 27 All-City players and coached the Public League All-Stars in the Carpenter Cup. In addition, for a brief interlude, Bob was the Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School varsity soccer coach for two seasons(1985-86) and boasts a Suburban One Championship title in 1985. He was a two-time soccer All-American at Temple(1967,1968) and was enshrined in the Temple Athletic HOF in 1995.

• Ed Klavon - Coaching a team to success is an admirable accomplishment. Founding a program from scratch, then forging a career of success is remarkable. Ed Klavon founded the North Penn High School wrestling program in 1956 and immediately built a winning program. For 35 years, until 1992, his teams were dominant. His lifetime record was 318-151-7 and included a 43-match win streak from 1983-1986. He won the PA State Championship and was named PA Wrestling Coach of the Year, both in 1987. His teams enjoyed 28 winning seasons, 2 undefeated seasons, 10 league championships (6 Bux-Mont, 4 Suburban One National), 8 Section II titles, 2 District I North titles, and 3 Southeast Regional Titles. He has coached 7 individual PIAA Champions, 5 more state medalists, 33 state qualifiers, 20 Southeast Regional champs, 25 District I champs, and 79 Section II champs. He has coached numerous father-son combinations over the years. One year, he branched out as North Penn's head soccer coach and his only team won the 1964 Bux-Mont League Championship. In 1993 he was inducted into the District One Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into both the PA and National Wrestling Hall of Fames.

COMMUNITY COACHES HONOR ROLL

Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame also welcomes the 2021 Honor Roll Inductees who represent the very best of dedicated volunteers who have so selflessly served our greater community of young athletes :

• Ed Foley - Head Coach for 31 seasons of the nationally recognized All-Star football team Philadelphia Little Quakers(current All-Time record 251-38-7); served 12 years as Head and Assistant coach for boys and girls sports, Saint Philip Neri CYO ( Lafayette Hill); Served nine years as coach and Board member, Conshohocken Little League; Assistant coach William Penn Charter School Varsity Football and Head Coach Middle School Football and Baseball; currently a faculty member and the Associate A.D., William Penn Charter School. Ed was All-Ivy, Honorable Mention All-American and a member of 1982, 1983, and 1984 Ivy League Football Champions, University of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, Inductee 2015.

• John Bortulin - Head Soccer Coach, 15-seasons(1996-2011), Saint Teresa CYO(Audubon); CYO regional Coordinator(2008-2013); CYO Region 21 Soccer Commissioner (2006-2013); Saint Teresa A.D. (2006-2012); Audubon Recreation Association Coach (2003-2010).

• Tom Moore - CYO Football Coach, Saint John of the Cross (Roslyn, Abington Township)(1967-1982); Roslyn Boys Club Baseball (1973-1978); CYO Basketball, Saint John the Cross(1977-1987); CYO Basketball, Saint Alphonsus (1988-2001).

• Ed Lincul - West Norriton Little League. Dedicated and beloved coach , Board member and respected advisor to many coaches and parents for 25 years. Ed's commitment to his community never wavered even amidst the tragic auto accident loss of his oldest son. Ed's keen insight and calm influence continue to buoy WNLL and its players through his steadfast commitment to excellence and integrity. A true treasure for his community, Ed exemplifies the very definition of a servant-leader.

• Tony Lowe - Tony Lowe has coached an incredible array of teams over the years, starting back in 1992 with the Towamencin Youth Association. At Corpus Christi in Upper Gwynedd Township, Tony coached JV softball, baseball, and basketball. He also coached varsity softball and both girls and boys varsity basketball teams, winning multiple Region 20 championships and led Corpus to two Archdiocesan Final Four appearances and two Lasalle College High School tournament championships. He served as Corpus Christi’s Athletic Director for many years and was part of the group that brought the Cougars football program to Corpus during his tenure as AD. Tony has been a volunteer coach in the Sonny Hill basketball program in Philadelphia. He coached Fencor AAU and the Montgomery Defenders AAU basketball teams leading both to many tournament championships and successful runs in the Mid Atlantic championships. Tony has also coached varsity high school basketball teams for many years at Lansdale Catholic, Hatboro Horsham, and currently at New Hope Solebury High school.

# # #

“This very diverse class of inductees highlights how the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame really touches all areas of our amazing sports history in this county,” remarks Selection Committee Chairman Tom Brady. “We are very excited to honor these outstanding coaches in front of the sports fans of Montgomery County. We have inductees from a variety of sports, as well as representation from all over the county. It is gratifying and exciting to see the spotlight shine on such a well-rounded and well-deserving class of inductees.”

President Dale Hood adds “With the very successful debut at our new venue Presidential Caterers in 2019, we are excited to return to a packed house after a year's pause due to COVID-19 . “Interest is very strong regarding this new class of inductees and brings a long list of accomplishments to this year’s banquet. "

***************************************************************************************************

** PLEASE NOTE - COVID-19 POLICY: Should the Montgomery County Department of Health ban large indoor gatherings such as our banquet, we will be willing to: 1) refund your purchase minus a small processing fee, or 2) apply your purchase towards next year's banquet or 3) accept your payment as a donation to further the valuable work of MCCHOF. Thank you.