Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Montco Coaches Hall of Fame announces 19th Class of Inductees
NORRISTOWN » Five coaches, with stellar records in their respective sports, make up the latest class of inductees into the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. They will be the centerpiece of the 19th annual induction banquet on Tuesday, November 23 at Presidential Caterers in East Norriton.
The induction banquet resumes its storied history as a highlight of the annual sports calendar in Montgomery County, after a year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After a long run of packed houses for our annual banquet, it was painful to put a pause to the celebration last year,” admitted Dale Hood, Hall of Fame president. “We are excited to return to a packed house after a year’s absence due to Covid-19. Interest is very strong regarding this new class of inductees, who bring a long list of accomplishments to this year’s banquet.”
The newest class of inductees includes Randy Garber, who starred nationally as a soccer player, then built a powerhouse as a coach at Abington High; Tim Hughes, softball coach at Spring-Ford High from 1997 to the present, whose teams have won almost 80 percent of their games in that span; Mary Ann Harris, a coaching legend in lacrosse at Ursinus College and field hockey at Souderton High; Bob Peffle, a championship coach in three sports – in soccer at La Salle College High School, and in wrestling and baseball at Frankford High; and Ed Klavon, who founded the North Penn High wrestling program in 1956 and coached the team for 35 years until 1992 and won a state championship in 1987.
“I feel very confident that the return of the Coaches Hall
of Fame banquet this year will bring the highest caliber of coaching excellence to the dais,” remarked Selection Committee Chairman Kevin Burke. “We are very excited to honor them in front of the sports fans of Montgomery County.”
The new class of inductees brings a long list of accomplishments to this year’s banquet.
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 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.
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 Semifinal 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 (19922011) 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 in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (Montco Chapter).
BOB PEFFLE » Talk about versatility, Bob Peffle has crafted a remarkable coaching resume in three different sports.
As the long-time (28 years, 600 games) soccer coach of La Salle College High School (1987-2014), Peffle boasted a 402-13266
overall record. That included seven Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) championships, and four 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 AllPCL players. In all, he has coached more than 100 PCL All-Catholic selections.
Previous to his soccer run at La Salle, Peffle coached the soccer program at Plymouth Whitemarsh High and won a Suburban One title in 1985.
During the same period, Peffle was the Frankford High wrestling coach. His teams 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). Overall,
his wrestlers posted an astounding 429-72 record.
Concurrently, Peffle continued his winning ways into the spring season as the Frankford High baseball coach (1989-2007). He produced five Philadelphia Public League championships. Three more times his teams reached the PPL finals and twice made it to the PIAA tournament.
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, two undefeated seasons, 10 league championships (six BuxMont, four Suburban One National), eight Section II titles, two District I North titles, and three Southeast Regional Titles.
He has coached seven individual PIAA Champions, five more state medalists, 33 state qualifiers, 20 Southeast Regional champs, 25 District I champs, and 79 Section II champs. He has coached numerous fatherson combinations over the years.
One year, he branched out as North Penn’s head soccer coach and his only team won the 1964 BuxMont 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.
The five members of the new induction class, along with the yet-to-beannounced members of the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame Honor Roll (for volunteer coaches) will be inducted at the November 23 banquet.
Tickets for the banquet are available for purchase by contacting any member of the Hall of Fame Advisory Board. Additional information can be obtained by going to the website – www.mcchof.com or by calling the banquet management office at 484-8688000.