Wyomissing’s Bob Wolfrum seems to have a stranglehold on Coach of the Year award
2023 Berks football coverage presented by
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He had a trophy named in his honor.
Then his team’s home football field.
What honor is next for Wyomissing coach Bob Wolfrum? Will they rename Cambridge Avenue, which runs past the school where he once taught and now has coached for four decades, after him? Wolfrum Way, anyone?
| Coach of the Year: Multiple-time winners | |
| Bob Wolfrum | 8 |
| Mick Vecchio | 5 |
| Jim Cantafio | 3 |
| Rick Keeley | 3 |
| Gerry Slemmer | 3 |
| Dave Bodolus | 2 |
| Doug Dahms | 2 |
| Alan Moyer | 2 |
| Jack Paris | 2 |
| Bill Sakusky | 2 |
| John Yocum | 2 |
After being named Berks football Coach of the Year for a record eighth time earlier this month you’d think they wouldd name that award for him but that honor is already taken: Is is named in honor of Wilson’s legendary John Gurski, the first recipient of the award in 1981.
In the years since many terrific coaches have been selected by their peers.
Gov. Mifflin’s Mick Vecchio was named five times. Rick Keeley of Holy Name and Berks Catholic and Gerry Slemmer and Jim Cantafio, each of Wilson, were named three times. Several others received the distinction twice.
Wolfrum seems to have a stranglehold on the award these days. He has been named in consecutive years and four times in the last five seasons.
And for good reason: His teams haven’t lost a whole lot of games recently. The Spartans went 12-2 this season, winning their fifth straight District 3 Class 3A title. Over the past three seasons they went 40-4, the best three-season record in the history of Berks football.
Over the past five seasons Wyomissing has gone an astounding 61-6. Wolfrum’s teams would have the Berks record for the most wins over a five-year span, too, had it not been for a truncated regular season in 2020, when the Spartans played just five regular season games due to restrictions put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolfrum has long been the winningest coach in Berks history. He’s currently No. 2 among all active football coaches in Pennsylvania, with a 362-89-1 record. Only Southern Columbia’s Jim Roth has won more games.
In his 37 seasons at Wyomissing his teams have finished with a losing record just once, in 2004 when they went 5-6. They finished without a winning record only one other time, when they went 6-6 in 2013. Ironically — or not — that came one season after Wyomissing became the first Berks team to go 16-0. It was crowned PIAA Class AA champion.
Earlier this season Wyomissing renamed it home field Bob Wolfrum Field.
In 2012 the Keeley-Wolfrum Trophy was first presented to the winner of the Berks Catholic vs. Wyomissing game. It was named in honor of Keeley and Wolfrum.
Here’s the complete list of John Gurski Award winners:
John Gurski Coach of the Year recipients
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2023 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2022 |
| Jeff Lang | Gov. Miflin | 2021 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2020 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2019 |
| Alan Moyer | Conrad Weiser | 2018 |
| Mick Vecchio | Gov. Mifflin | 2017 |
| Doug Dahms | Wilson | 2016 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2015 |
| Mick Vecchio | Gov. Mifflin | 2014 |
| Rick Keeley | Berks Catholic | 2013 |
| Jeff Chillot | Schuylkill Valley | 2012 |
| Dave Bodolus | Daniel Boone | 2011 |
| Mick Vecchio | Gov. Mifflin | 2010 |
| Alan Moyer | Conrad Weiser | 2009 |
| Doug Dahms | Wilson | 2008 |
| Mick Vecchio | Gov. Mifflin | 2007 |
| Dave Bodolus | Daniel Boone | 2006 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2005 |
| Jim Cantafio | Wilson | 2004 |
| Preston McKnight | Schuylkill Valley | 2003 |
| Jim Cantafio | Wilson | 2002 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2001 |
| Bob Wolfrum | Wyomissing | 2000 |
| Jim Cantafio | Wilson | 1999 |
| John Yocum | Muhlenberg | 1998 |
| Al Wolski | Reading High | 1997 |
| Ron Zeiber | Exeter | 1997 |
| Mick Vecchio | Gov. Mifflin | 1996 |
| Gerry Slemmer | Wilson | 1995 |
| Rick Keeley | Holy Name | 1994 |
| Al Silveri | Conrad Weiser | 1993 |
| Jet Johnston | Reading High | 1992 |
| John Yocum | Muhlenberg | 1991 |
| Gerry Slemmer | Wilson | 1990 |
| Gerry Slemmer | Wilson | 1989 |
| Bill Sakusky | Hamburg | 1988 |
| Rick Keeley | Holy Name | 1987 |
| Jack Paris | Wyomissing | 1986 |
| Bill Sakusky | Hamburg | 1985 |
| Jack Paris | Wyomissing | 1984 |
| Dick Ortwein | Kutztown | 1983 |
| Ferdie Kuczala | Conrad Weiser | 1982 |
| John Gurski | Wilson | 1981 |
