Coach Mac Came Home
John McArdle was a Chestnut Hill Academy alumnus who spent 17 seasons coaching basketball at his alma mater — from 1986-87 through 2002-03 — and then kept umpiring high school baseball in the neighborhoods around it for years afterward. He was, by every description from the CHA community who knew him, a teaching presence first and a game-planner second.
Coach Mac has been a staple in Philadelphia since the 1960s. Tonight my friends and I toasted to Coach Mac. We toasted to his humility. We toasted to his ability to connect with his players. We toasted to undying love to Chestnut Hill Academy and our memories of him there. The days of educators like Coach Mac seem to be passing us by.
The Three Co-Championships
McArdle's CHA teams reached the Inter-Ac summit three times during his 17 seasons: 1991-92 (8-2 league, 17-8 overall), 1993-94 (8-2 league, 19-4 overall), and 1997-98 (8-2 league, 20-8 overall) — all co-championships shared with the other top Inter-Ac program of that year.
