Bob Derr has been coaching field hockey in the Warwick School District for 40 years. In that time, he has amassed over 600 wins (605 to be exact), three PIAA State Championships, six District Three Championships, 11 Lancaster-Lebanon League titles, and 14 section titles.

What field hockey enthusiasts may or may not know about Bob Derr is that in those 40 years, he has also become a top-ranked high school and collegiate wrestling referee and raised three children (who have also become field hockey coaches) with his wife, Kathy.

What sets Bob apart from the other legendary high school coaches he has become synonymous with, is that when he began his career, he knew next to nothing about the sport —now, the 2010 NFHCA Hall of Fame inductee (and the first man to be inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame) is counted as one of the most legendary high school field hockey coaches in the country.

We were excited to sit down with Bob, learn more about his coaching journey, and absorb some wisdom from one of field hockey’s greats.

Question (NFHCA): Most people don’t know that the legendary Bob Derr didn’t start his coaching career in field hockey — can you tell us about how you got your start?

Answer (Bob Derr): How I got into coaching field hockey is quite a story.

In the fall of 1979, I was teaching in the Warwick School District and coaching the junior high wrestling team and the high school boys’ track and field team. I was approached by Sandy Moyer, who was the varsity field hockey coach. She informed me that the junior high field hockey coach had just resigned and there were still 10 days left in the season. Sandy pleaded with me to take over for those last 10 days — the team only had seven practices and three games left in the season and she promised to help me along the way. My first reaction was “NO WAY!” All I knew about the sport was that you could only use one side of the stick, I had no idea how I would figure out line-ups of players that I did not know and coach a game. But, after some serious coaxing and plenty of reassurance from Sandy, I agreed.

Sandy and I met later that day to review the day’s practice, and after I got the “OK” from my wife, Kathy, my field hockey coaching career began.

In those 10 days, I was so taken by how engaged, passionate, and full of heart the girls were for field hockey. They truly LOVED the game and their love of the game wore off on me. After our last game, I went to Sandy to ask if I could coach again next year and she agreed. Here I am, 40 years later, getting ready for my 41st season coaching field hockey — I owe it all to Sandy for having faith in me and I thank all the girls that gave me the love of the game.

Q (NFHCA): You’ve built a formidable program at Warwick — how did you go about doing that? What did you focus on in your first five years leading the program?

A (BD): First, I had to go out learn as much as possible. Sandy recommended that I go to the Eastern Field Hockey Camp to get a proper introduction to the sport. When I called Judy Wolstenholme, she thought I wanted to coach the camp, I explained that I wanted to attend as a camper so that I could get on the field and learn with the girls. I had no knowledge of the basic skills, and tactics of the game, so I thought if I could be a camper and do the drills and skills, I could learn the game. And that’s how my education of the sport began — I would bring my stick and notebook along and I would play in the drills with the girls and then in the evening the coaches invited me to play with them. I owe a lot to Judy and her staff — they gave me a great start.

Second, I focused on the fundamentals — ball control, push pass, trap, hit, role-one defense — we drilled these every day. We also focused on building a culture based on team first, family, discipline, and work ethic.

Q (NFHCA): As you enter your 41st season as a field hockey coach, what has changed the most from your perspective, for the good and for the not-so good?

A (BD): Field Hockey, like many sports, has seen much growth in each athlete’s abilities, strength, and speed. Plus, the athletes today are much more talented. The education of the game and how it is played has advanced with new skills and rule changes which has allowed for better flow to the game and a faster game. These changes have made the game very exciting.

The not-so-good: the players by their own choice are focusing more on one sport, mostly influenced by year-round opportunities. I still feel there is much to be gained by an athlete competing in multiple sports. I believe it is good for the athlete’s mental and physical health.

Q (NFHCA): With Mother’s Day just passed and Father’s Day coming up, we’ve got coaching and parenting on the brain — how did you manage being a father and a coach (of multiple sports), a top wrestling official, and a teacher? How do you think coaching affected your family?

A (BD): I was very fortunate and lucky that I married the right person. Kathy has been a wonderful wife and is a tremendous woman. They say, “behind every great man stands a great woman,” and it’s true. On a typical winter day in the Derr household, I would leave home and walk to school, while Kathy would see to it that the three kids ate breakfast and got to school. After school, I would coach junior high wrestling and after practice, Kathy would pack up all three kids, pick me up, and drive us all to a varsity wrestling match that I would be refereeing. After the match, we all would go to a restaurant and have dinner together. The wonderful thing about it was that Kathy made sure we always spent some family time together, no matter our busy schedules.

As for the effect on my kids, sports and athletics kept the family together. All three of our children were multi-sport athletes. Each of our children, Danielle, Bree, and Andy, coached field hockey at some time. My daughters both coached at various high schools and colleges and my son coached with me for a brief time before he took a job at a local rival school. Coaching against each other…that was a sight to behold.

But the main point is that it was my wife, Kathy, was the glue that held our family together.

Q (NFHCA): What advice do you have for other coaches coming to field hockey from other sporting backgrounds?

A (BD):

• Love what you do! If you as a coach can demonstrate/express/exhibit love and passion for the game, it will rub off onto your players.
• Be creative! With all of the distractions that our athletes are bombarded by nowadays, we as coaches have to work hard to be creative and keep them engaged in what we’re teaching them.
• Gain your athlete’s respect — when the athlete respects you, they will believe in you.
• In coaching you never stop learning — to be successful you must stay up to date on all facets of the game.
• Finally, and most importantly, do not forget the dessert…MAKE IT FUN.

Q (NFHCA): Anything else you’d like to share?

A (BD): I have had a long career and I am blessed to have met such tremendous people, mentors, and teachers of the game who have had a huge impact on my coaching career and life. But, most of the credit goes to my family who supported me through everything — my family has been my rock.

I hesitate to name names, because I don’t want to leave anyone out, but I have to thank all of the coaches who I have worked with over the years and who have made tremendous contributions to our program at Warwick or have given knowledge and support to me and our program. So, with that, I would like to mention by name those who helped me greatly in the beginning: Sandy Moyer, Barb Spengler, Beth Anders, Judy Wolstenholme, Roda Mountz, and also give my gratitude to all of my assistant and junior high coaches from the past 40 years — thank you for sharing your love of the game with me.

Thank you, Bob! If you enjoyed Bob's coaching journey, check out other articles featuring athletic director at FDU-Florham, Jenn Noon; head coach at the College of the Holy Cross, Lindsay Jackson; and head coach at Queens University of Charlotte, Brandi Kist.