Legendary Coach Kevin Clancy Steps Away After 44 Years At The Helm

Tagged under: Coaches Corner, District 1, News, pfn

Nicholas Mastripolito | November 9, 2026

On Monday, the Strath Haven Athletic Department sent out a statement announcing the retirement of longtime head coach Kevin Clancy. The news was first broken on Strath Haven’s website, Havenfootball.net

Clancy started his career in Radnor, Pennsylvania, where he assisted his alma mater, Archbishop Carroll Patriots, alongside Carroll Hall of Fame coach Joe McNichol. Clancy took over as head coach of the Pats in 1982 and ended his tenure in 1990. Coach Clancy finished with a record of 67-39-2.

Following his final year at Archbishop Carroll, Clancy was looking for a public school opportunity in hopes that he could continue as a teacher. This is when he landed on Strath Haven, a school that had just merged (Nether Providence and Swarthmore High Schools) together. Strath Haven seemed like the right fit to continue teaching and coaching, so Clancy accepted the head coach position and began teaching.

Since then, Clancy has etched his name into the record books, cementing himself as one of the best coaches ever in the state of Pennsylvania. Clancy coached 5 NFL players at Strath Haven, won 14 Central Athletic League Championships, 13 PIAA District 1 Championships, and 2 PIAA state Championships. Kevin Clancy retired from teaching last year, but didn’t decide to retire from football until a season later.

From 1999-2001, the Panthers, led by Clancy, won 44 straight games, placing them in the top 50 longest win streaks in High School Football history (Via Maxpreps)

Coach Clancy’s 394 victories in his career rank fifth all time in Pennsylvania history.

Clancy was highly respected, especially in the Philadelphia/Delco area, and provided guidance and assistance to dozens of head coaches. Here is what Audenried Charter Head Coach Roy-Al Edwards had to say regarding Clancy’s retirement:

“Thank you for showing me the importance of consistency, repetition, culture, and pride. Thank you for teaching me how to deal with humility and praising me for my achievements. Enjoy retirement!!”

To read more about Kevin Clancy, click the link below and read PaFootballNews Staff Writer Phil Myers “Conversation with Coach Clancy” from a few years ago.

Conversation with Coach Clancy Article