Al Silveri offered tough love, a shoulder to lean on, for generations of football players
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Eric Steeves knew he was headed down the wrong path as a teen-ager. He didn’t make an effort in school. He had no direction in life. He didn’t care about anything.
Al Silveri recognized that. He saw potential in Steeves that the future All-State linebacker could not see in himself.
Silveri, his teacher and football coach at Conrad Weiser in the early 1990’s, steered Steeves in the right direction. It was no easy chore, mind you, and it didn’t happen overnight. It was akin to taming a wild bronco but it was not too big a task for Silveri, an all-star teacher and molder of young people for decades.
“Al was very good with the (marginal) kids,” said Wyomissing’s Bob Wolfrum, who coached football alongside, and against, Silveri for 50 years. “He dealt with the misfits because (at heart) he thought he was one when he was young. Those kind of kids were drawn to Al, and he had a special place in his heart for them.”
(Photo courtesy of Silveri family)
Silveri held court outside the Spartans’ locker room each afternoon following practice.
You’d see him stationed on the bench right outside the door, counseling kids on football or school work or the hardships life can throw your way.
He’d spend an hour or more with players whether they were third-teamers who would never see the field or they were headed for big-time success.
Jven Williams was one of those kids. He was an All-State player who’s now competing at Penn State but in his early days at Wyomissing he struggled to grasp the nuances of the Wing-T blocking scheme well enough to get on the field; he grew frustrated at times.
Silveri was there to put an arm around his shoulder, to reassure him, to let him know that we all struggle before we succeed.
“When Jven had a rough practice, Al would be the guy to bring him back,” said Wyomissing line coach Steve O’Neil. “Al was the shoulder to lean on.”
Silveri, who died Monday at age 76, was limited physically in his final years of his life.
It became difficult to stand for long stretches, which made it arduous for him to continue coaching. He relied on the use of his cane and often coached his linemen sitting on a small stool during practice.
It didn’t matter; nothing was going to keep him from being on the field and with his guys.
“They respected that he was out there battling with them,” O’Neil said.
It’s impossible to know how many lives Al Silveri helped shape during his 50-plus years in coaching and three decades in the classroom, where he taught civics, social studies, and history with the same passion and vigor he showed on the football field.
Steeves is thankful Silveri came into his life. He grew up without a father and with an anger that if left unbridled would’ve led to trouble. Steeves believes he could’ve ended up in jail.
Silveri’s influence led him in another direction. He ended up going to college and today runs his own successful business.
“He always was there to look out for me, (whether I was) good or bad,” said Steeves.
It may have taken some forceful persuasion on Silveri’s part but Steeves came around.
“He was always there to step in and take the place of the father I didn’t have,” Steeves said. “If he had to come to my house after a game, after practice (to keep me in line), he did. He always reached out to me.
“He was hard on the kids, but it was for their own good. He was tough, but it was tough love. I thank God that he was in my life; he was a great man.”
Al Silveri was one of the most revered and beloved coaches in Berks football history. Without him there would be no Berks County Football Coaches Association, no Hall of Fame, none of those All-Star games or banquets or scholarships that have helped elevate Berks football over the years.
He was the glue that held that organization together; fittingly he was the first member of its Hall of Fame (one of at least four in which he has been inducted).
Silveri coached at Wyomissing for 30 seasons and was planning for No. 31 until his health took a final turn earlier this year. He coached at Conrad Weiser for 22 years, 15 as head coach; he also coached at Muncy for two seasons. He was on the sidelines for 400 wins, 15 league champions and Wyomissing’s 2012 PIAA championship.
He coached the coaches, not just the players. O’Neil, his protégé for many years before taking over as Spartans line coach, watched the way Silveri went about his craft. He learned much about relationship-building, as well as X’s and O’s.
“Al was meticulous watching film,” O’Neil said. “He would always find that weak link (in the opposition), the littlest thing (that you could exploit). He was always finding ways to help us win.”
Winning on Friday nights and Saturday afternoons was as important to Silveri as the next guy but his most important victories came in the special bonds he created with youngsters 40, 50, and 60 years his junior. He could relate with people of any age, any background, any intellect.
“These kids, they want to win and they want to be successful, and they’ll do what you tell them,” Silveri said in a 2020 interview. “You still find a few that put the team first and just play their hearts out every week, and that’s all you can ask.”
