Announcement of an endowed scholarship at the annual banquet to honor and introduce George Cockerill, November 20, 2015:

 

“Many of you know Coach George Cockerill but you probably don’t know the complete story so I’d like to share a brief bio.  Coach was a teacher in the school district for 39 years retiring in 2007.  He was the head football coach at Conestoga for five years from 1977-81.  He was also an assistant football coach at Conestoga for nine seasons and assistant at Archbishop Carroll for one season.  He coached the Conestoga Women’s Gymnastics team for 15 years.   He coached TE Junior High and Middle School football, track, and soccer and currently is still the weight football coach.  He has guided the 7th and 8th grade lacrosse teams for over 20 years and will do so again in the spring.  As near as I can tell, Coach, you have coached five sports over the course of roughly 75 seasons.  That is quite a legacy.  75 teams times how many on each team?  T hat is quite a lot of young athletes you helped shape and sent on to high school, college, and out into the world.  I am one of them.

 

I had the honor of coaching football with George this past fall at the Middle School and after the season I asked Coach if he was going to guide the team again next year.  And Coach you said that you’d like to keep coaching as long as you can make a difference.  Well you made a difference coaching us in football at Conestoga back in the day, and you are still making a difference.   Every student and athlete should have someone like you in their life to lead the way in making sports not just about excellence, but also about team spirit, sportsmanship, doing your best for yourself and your teammates – and about loving sports so they  can be a part of the rest of your life.          

Because of the strong, positive impact you have had on so many,  a group of your former players and students have come together to endow a Football Association scholarship in your honor that will recognize a football senior who has made a difference and bettered the lives of his teammates, classmates, and community--just like you have done Coach.  Ladies and gentlemen, please help me thank Coach George Cockerill.”

 

Since this announcement, George coached the middle school women’s lacrosse team for two more springs and the weight football team for one more fall before finally retiring.

 

Because of the strong, positive impact that Coach Cockerill has had on so many players over the years, those who benefited from his leadership came together to endow a Football Association scholarship in Coach Cockerill’s name that will recognize a football senior who has made a difference and improved the lives of his teammates, classmates and community – just like Coach Cockerill has done for so many.