As one of the most decorated coaches in the Philadelphia area, Plymouth Whitemarsh Head Coach Dan Chang has been no stranger to success during his 15-year tenure with the school.
In just his second year as head coach, Chang was awarded the Times Herald Coach of the Year for Football. Since then, the school has won the Suburban One League title seven times, including the last three years in a row.
As Plymouth Whitemarsh prepares to take on Hatboro-Horsham Senior High School on Friday, Chang is on the verge of his 100th win as the school's head coach.
Coach Chang's 99 wins make him the second-winningest coach in Plymouth Whitemarsh history, but his goal as a coach goes beyond the product on the field.
"I think the most important thing about my job of being a football coach is to help develop these boys that we get into young men, and I know personally that football was one of the biggest influences in my life, not only the coaches that I played for, but my teammates, who became my best friends," Chang said. "I believe that if we are focusing on building kids and showing them the right way to do things and the right way to act in life, in school, at your job, during practice, during games, that the wins will follow."
Chang has a constant message of using "we over me" as a team. His players are always held accountable on and off the field, and he has created a concept of the team being a "family" that can always rely on each other.
During one of the most difficult times the program has had to endure, Chang knew that his message of staying together and being a family was needed more than ever before.
A few years ago, two members of the program lost close family members within a short period of time. As the leader of the team, Chang had to keep everyone together during an unprecedented time while being there to support those who were involved.
"It was very tough on our guys, and it was one of those turning points in a season, and really, in a lot of these kids' lives where we're struggling to find out what's important and what do we do when things get tough?" Chang said. "I found that football and being together and really reemphasizing that idea of family that we preach, you know, the guys that you're with every day, basically throughout the entire year. We see each other more than we see our own families. And so, we were relying on that strength and that bond and that togetherness to kind of keep each other going through that time and to support those two individuals who had just had a major loss.
"I definitely think that it made us stronger. We were able to be there for the viewings and the funerals and to support each other during that time. Football gave at least our player there a chance to release and manage his emotions while being in a safe and secure environment. Our team really rallied behind them, and we were able to continue to win games because we were doing it and we were playing for the right reasons."
While Chang has kept all his players in order over the years and set the standard for what is expected from the team, the culture is so ingrained in everyone who goes through the program and has been passed down throughout his tenure.
While it may be easy to point the blame on others and make excuses during tough situations, his players respond to the message of holding each other accountable and being a role model no matter if they are on the field or in the classroom.
"Football, I truly believe, is the ultimate team sport. There's not one guy who is more important than another guy on our team, and we talk about that every day in practice, whether it's a scout team guy or a varsity two-way starter. We can't do the things that we want to do without everybody being on board and on the same page." Chang said.
The values that Chang has instilled in his teams have led to a great amount of success on the field, and he feels blessed to be a part of the Plymouth Whitemarsh community. But for Chang, the main credit will always come back to the kids.
"I think our success is due to our kids. They come in all year, and they work their tails off. I think they come in knowing the expectations of sacrifice, of commitment, and we have kind of built that tradition over the last couple years that now these incoming guys know that when you're part of the football team, a little bit more is expected of you," Chang said. "There's a little bit of a higher expectation in the classroom, during practice, during games, during film, all that stuff. And that takes a long time to kind of get going. But once you've got it going, your goal is to continue it and keep building it."
Chang has also been able to surround his players with the right people, having almost his whole coaching staff together for several years.
"I've got a great group of guys who are great with football, but even more importantly, they're great with kids and how to relate to kids and how to help kids off the field. And I think our kids know that we care about them off the field – at least I hope that they do, and I know that kids have to believe that we care about them before they will start to work their hardest for you. I think that's kind of the base and the core of what we build on here," Chang said.
Chang's players have also helped in their community, cleaning up after events, volunteering with the youth football programs, and paving the way for the school's future.
"Not everything you do needs something coming back to you. Most of the time, it's more about giving than what you are getting. And I think it makes us unselfish, maybe a little more on the field," Chang said.
With one more win needed to reach triple-digits in his career, Chang reflected on what Plymouth Whitemarsh has meant to him and what he loves most about coaching football.
"I just would like people to know how proud I am of our school district, our school, and our team. We are a top-notch district with great academics, great teachers, great support staff, and our football program has been successful for lots of years," Chang said. "One of my favorite things about coaching is seeing how many guys come back after they graduate, to just kind of be a part of the program and be around it again. Whether it's helping out here and there over the summer, checking out a game, checking out some practices, we have so many guys that return afterwards, and I feel like that's a good sign that they want to be back here when things are done."
– Written by Liam Wichser
