Al Black, the former head coach of the Springfield Township High School football team, passed away on Friday, January 17 at a nursing home in Lancaster. He was 88.
The Spartans won the Buxmont and Suburban One Championships during Coach Black’s tenure, and he was named Coach of the Year twice. His 1970 team was 10-0 and one of the greatest teams in Montgomery County history.


In 2021, he was inducted into the Chester County Hall of Fame. From the entry:
Al Black has made numerous contributions to football. He excelled as a coach, a clinician, and an author. Al came to Chester County and Coatesville High School in 1971 by way of Springfield High School (Montgomery County), where he was very successful. His teams won the Buxmont and Suburban One Championships, and he was Coach of the Year twice. His success transferred to Coatesville as well, where his teams won 7 Ches-mont Championships, and 7 runners up finishes as well. Adding to their success, Philadelphia Newspapers twice named the teams Eastern Pennsylvania Champions. Al was also named Best High School Football Coach by Philadelphia Magazine in 1981.
After Coatesville, Al would move on to Widener University, Millersville University, and Delaware Valley College, where he found great success once again serving as an assistant coach and offensive coordinator. Widener won a Division Championship his first year there. While at Millersville, the Offense helped lead the team to a league championship and ECAC Team of the Year. He also spent two years with Central Penn in the National Minor League Football League. His teams found great success there as well, winning the National Championship in 1996.
As a clinician, Al traveled all over Europe as a speaker and coach. He worked and spoke for the British American Football Association, NFL Europe, the British National Coaching Convention, and the German National Convention. He served as an Offensive Coordinator and Team Advisor. In 2003, he was an Offensive Consultant to Team Europe in the Junior World Championships. In 2011, Al Black finished his coaching career.
Al authored four texts on Coaching Football. His subjects of the Belly Option and Coaching the The Run and Shoot Offense were well received in both the United States and Europe.
“He loved hearing from his old football players any time of the day,” Marie, Black’s partner of 35 years, said in his obituary in the Daily Local. “Al had a very high IQ. You surely wanted to be on his side in a trivia contest. He was a wonderful man.”
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Photo courtesy of Donna Derstyne via Daily Local