Galen Snyder steps down as Pennsbury football coach after 14 years
FAIRLESS HILLS – One of the most successful chapters in the annals of local high school football came to an end Friday when Galen Snyder announced he was stepping down as Pennsbury’s head coach.
Snyder’s 14 years at the Pennsbury helm were impressive. During that stretch, he guided the team to a 116-48 record, which translates to a winning percentage of over .700. Snyder’s teams also captured four titles in the ultra-competitive Suburban One National League.
In addition, Snyder guided the Falcons to two district titles to reach the Class AAAA state semifinals twice.
The first came in 2006 when Pennsbury went 13-2 and came up just short of the state final when it lost a classic quadruple overtime thriller against Bethlehem Liberty.
Two years ago, Pennsbury also won the district with a 13-2 record. The end of the line that year came in a loss to state champion St. Joe’s Prep of Philadelphia.
Snyder managed to last 14 years in one of the most pressurized jobs in the district. No matter how many games or titles a Pennsbury football coach might win, there’s always a certain element of the community that will insist the coach should have done better.
The previous longest tenure as Pennsbury’s head coach belonged to Chuck Kane, who lasted for 12 years in the 1970s era when the Falcons were often considered one of the top teams in Pennsylvania.
“I’ve coached a lot of great players and had a lot of great coaches,” the 47-year-old Snyder said Friday night. “Now I’d like to go watch my son play in college.”
An all-Southeastern Pennsylvania linebacker, Luke Snyder was a senior on this year’s Pennsbury team that finished with a 9-4 record and reached the district semifinals.
Galen Snyder, of course, was an all-state linebacker and was a key member of the 1985 Pennsbury team that went undefeated. He then went on to play collegiately at Duke and Columbia.
“It was a privilege to coach at my alma mater for 14 years,” said Snyder. “The two district titles teams will always stand out. And to be able to coach my son was special as well.”
Where Pennsbury will go from here is unclear. The one thing for sure is there will be plenty of interest in coaching at a school that is one of the largest in the state, and has a long and rich history in football.
Snyder also leaves a program that is in great shape. In the last four years alone Pennsbury won an impressive 41 games and captured three league titles to go along with the district crown.
As for Snyder himself, he did not rule out a returning to coaching after his son finishes up his college career.
“You never say never,” replied Snyder when asked if he would like to coach again in the future.
Contact Rick Fortenbaugh at rfortenbaugh@trentonian.com, or @RickFort7 on Twitter
