Buckley still a big name in high school wrestling

by Jon Campbell, Delaware County Times

Posted on November 28, 2007

RIDLEY TWP. — Of all the wrestling coaches ever to man the corner of a mat in Pennsylvania, the two with the most wins did their work in Delaware County.

The Haverford School's Neil Buckley and Ridley's Carl Schnellenbach sit one and two, respectively, atop the state's all-time coaching wins list. If Ridley records at least 13 victories this season, Schnellenbach would hurdle Buckley on that prestigious list. That feat would put Schnellenbach on top with 647 wins and would leave Buckley in second with 646.

Buckley died Oct. 7, 1994 at the age of 78. The coach was found by a group of students outside of his office at the school and pronounced dead that afternoon.

Ultimately, Buckley took his last steps at the school where he spent 47 years accumulating 38 Inter-Academic League wrestling championships. The man is a legend at the school, with the Neil Buckley Wrestling Pavilion as a namesake. So, too, the Buckley Duals, an invitational meet held each winter.

"We are at the point at the school where none of the students knew him," said current Fords coach Bruce Kennett, who coached against Buckley with Malvern Prep before succeeding him at The Haverford School. "The kids now are all away from the time when he was there. But there are faculty members that remember Neil. And he is still a big part of what we do at The Haverford School."

What local wrestling fans may not know is that Buckley graduated from Ridley Park High School in 1934. Like Schnellenbach, Buckley never wrestled in high school.

As a coach, it took him 47 years to accumulate his 646 wins. That's a record that will have stood for 13 seasons if Schnellenbach is to surpass the mark in this, his 48th year at Ridley.

Both coaches shared a passion for the sport and a passion to teach kids. But that is where the similarities end.

"Neil did things differently," said Schnellenbach, whose Ridley teams used to wrestle Buckley's Fords in the 1970s and '80s. "He was more laid back. But so am I now. People just don't know it."

Kennett hasn't exactly been counting Schnellenbach's wins each year, but he knew the Green Raiders' coach was creeping up to his predecessor's record. Kennett knew it was a matter of time before Buckley's record would fall. And that's just fine with him.

"I think it is a great thing," Kennett said. "I have known Carl for a long time and he has had a huge impact at Ridley, just like Neil did at The Haverford School. Records are made to be broken. And I'm sure Neil would have no problem with Carl breaking his record."

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