Barr’s purpose is to lead at Upper Darby
Dave Barr was perfectly happy in his role at Bonner-Prendergast.
Since 2014, Barr has served in the role of director of campus ministry and was the freshman football coach the last three years.
Today, the Haverford High grad is gearing up for his first season as the new head football coach at Upper Darby.
“If I was going to spend the rest of my time in my role at Bonner-Prendie, I would’ve been 100 percent happy. I wasn’t looking to leave,” Barr told the Daily Times. “That job has been the greatest blessing for me in my life, outside of my family. I’ve loved every day there. I wasn’t looking for any other position.”
When he heard the Upper Darby position was vacant, Barr was intrigued. The school offered him the position prior to Christmas break and he was hired in January.
“I got home one day and talked about it with my wife and I said I’m going to pray about this and see where my spirit leads me,” Barr said. “I decided to apply to just see where it went. I went through the application process to the best of my ability, but if it didn’t work out I was 100 percent OK with it. But I knew if I gave the application process my best shot and it worked out, then great, because I knew then it was meant to be.”
Barr, who resides in Mt. Laurel, N.J., with his wife, Susan, and little ones Hannah (four) and Noah (one), will serve out the remainder of his contract at Bonner-Prendie. In August he will transition to his new career as a teacher in the business department at Upper Darby.
Barr played for coach Joe Gallagher at Haverford in the late-90s before continuing his playing career at Albright College in Reading. After graduating, he coached at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts before returning to Albright. He also had stops at Tiffin University and Urbana University, both in Ohio. Barr said he never had aspirations to coach high school football before arriving at Bonner-Prendie.
As head coach, Barr’s purpose to win football games at Upper Darby is secondary. His top priority is to teach and guide young men and put them on a path to succeed outside of sports.
“I know I was put on this planet to try to help people grow, to find the best versions of themselves and to try to show them how they can get that out of themselves,” Barr said. “I’ve found that I love doing that more than anything with high school-aged kids, that 14-to16 dynamic that are so ready to be provided with that structure and development. That’s what I want to bring to Upper Darby. I want to try to lead these young men and show them that this is what those things can do, and to be able to use the platform of football to teach those things is a real blessing.”
Barr replaces Rich Gentile, who had been head coach of the Royals since 1994. It was announced by the school district following the
2018 season that 2019 would be Gentile’s final year at the helm. Gentile owned an overall record of 175-131-1. Gentile is a well-respected member of the Upper Darby community who leaves a legacy that goes well beyond football.
“The good thing with Upper Darby’s situation is, it’s been made very clear to me in the couple times I’ve been around these guys what’s been instilled in them,” Barr said. “They have a good work ethic, they understand their commitment to the team. That’s all been instilled in them. I was excited after being around these guys the first couple weeks or so because this isn’t a start-from-scratch type of situation. Now it’s a matter of how can we keep building upon what’s been established with them.”
Barr believes his faith will carry him a long way at Upper Darby.
“My vision for them is to develop as people,” Barr said. “Again, I know that anyone can say this, but I’m not chasing after 10-win seasons or Central League titles. Obviously, we want those things to come because we want to reap the rewards of our hard work and effort, but my success here in life is going to be determined, OK, here are the kids that I was given, what did I do with them? I know my creator is not going to look me in the eye whenever he calls my name and say, ‘Hey, you won three Central League titles. Way to go.’ No, I know he doesn’t care about that. If I can lead them into becoming the best person they can be, that’s awesome. “
Similar to other high school coaches during coronavirus era, meet-and-greets are held strictly online these days. Barr and his players meet multiple times during the week via Zoom. Barr credits his strength and conditioning coach, Cyrus Barlee, for coming up with stay-at-home workout regimens for the players. Barlee was a two-time All-Delco defense back in the 2010s.
“We’re really quick to point out to them to only come to these meetings if your mental health is in a good spot, your school work is in a good spot, your family doesn’t need you at the time,” Barr said. “We don’t need everybody on the team at every meeting, you come when you can come.”
Barr is very much aware that Upper Darby is unlike most school districts in the area. He realizes, having come from Bonner-Prendie, the daily struggles a lot of the students live through. This understanding and open-mindedness to providing assistance, outside from Xs and Os, was a huge factor in his hiring.
“I know everyone thinks it’s an entirely different world, but Bonner and Upper Darby, the same kids are coming to both schools,” Barr said. “The kids we’ve been working with the last six years at Bonner-Prendie, it’s about understanding where they are and we’re in this together to develop them as human beings. That’s really a testament to (BonnerPrendie) coach (Jack) Muldoon and everyone on the Bonner-Prendie staff. They’re starting to have some success now because everyone is buying in to that part of the process.
“It’s going to be the same thing for us at Upper Darby . ... As coaches, it’s important to understand where each kid is coming from.
It’s not all black and white where we have team rules that we have to stick to. We have some of those, which we call deal-breakers, where it’s just things we’re not going to look past. But sometimes kids are going to have to miss a practice or deal with some things outside of school before they come to football. I can’t look my players in the eye when I tell them my family comes before literally everything and then the kids not be able to do the same thing. That doesn’t make any sense.”
Among the members of Barr’s coaching staff this year is Brad Gilbert, who has taught at the school since 2001 and was a former member of Gentile’s coaching staff. Gilbert was the first person Barr called after he was hired. Gilbert was be the team’s defensive coordinator.
“He and I worked together on the Hero Bowl staff a few years ago and I just really enjoyed my time with him,” Barr said. “When this opportunity presented itself, he was the first guy I reached out to. And it had zero percent to do with football. When we had our quote-unquote interview together, we didn’t talk one second about football. It was 100 percent about interaction with the kids, the values we can teach them, how we can help them. That’s what we’re all about here.”