TOWAMENCIN- “Excellence doesn’t just happen. It is a decision you make every day.” Those are the words on a sign posted  above Coach Brian Daly’s office door, in his guidance counselor’s office at North Penn High School. Fittingly, those two sentences describe the competitive drive,  work ethic, and pride that North Penn swimming and diving has been known for for generations.

Daly has been part of the coaching staff for 11 seasons, previosuly serving under head coach Brian Faikish. For the last seven seasons, Daly has been at the helm of this storied swimming program, but at the conclusion of the 2012 season, Daly resigned his position as head coach, on the heels of another successful season in the pool. Over his seven seasons as head coach the boys racked up an astounding 73-11 record.  

“This was a very challenging decision” said Daly on his decision to step down. But he could not hold the parents and former athletes he coached in any higher regard speaking highly of them academically and athletically.  As to the reason for his departure he did stated that, “Over the last season or so there have been decisions that have been made that I don’t think are in the best interest of the program.” He added, “in any sport or any program there are decisions that are made above the level of the coach. To some extent it had a negative impact on the young men on the swimming and diving program.”

Showing his true passion and love for the sport of swimming and the young men he has coached throughout his career, Daly continued by saying that “there comes a point where you have to look at the decisions that are made…and in this case I made the decision to walk away.”

“I feel very fortunate to have been part of the coaching staff here at North Penn,” Daly said, and he is not done with swimming yet; his children are coming up in the North Penn program and he believes that with the talent that is coming up “the boys and the girls team certainly have the potential to be top five in the state annually.”  Even though he is no longer the coach he still loves the sport and thinks “its going to be a lot of fun to watch the programs continue to thrive.”

Daly reflected on his final season as head coach by examining some of the adversity and challenges that presented themselves throughout the season, namely the late season injury to Jason Deanna.

“I think every swimming season comes with its challenges” Daly said, citing the time and effort it takes to run a program of this caliber. Between morning practices and practices after school going late “often times we don’t see daylight” which truly exemplifies the time, effort, and dedication Daly and the team put into every season.

Jason Deanna’s injury “came at a very inopportune time” said Daly. Just weeks before districts Deanna was injured during a practice, an injury that resulted in the drainage of the pool which not only set Deanna back but also put the team in the quandary of having to find a way to practice without water, or finding another site.

Daly credits Souderton for showing true “sportsmanship” and “generosity” for letting the team practice there while the pool was emptied. He also credits the upperclassmen for “keeping everybody focused on the goals of the team.” 

Despite the setbacks, North Penn and Deanna rebounded with an impressive showing at Districts and States. Deana captured individual gold and silver medals at states, and will continue the tradition of North Penn swimmers comepting collegiatley as he moves on to NC State in the fall.  

Daly’s career in swimming began in the area, and after a long road of experience and success, he found himself back here to continue in his coaching pursuits.

“In some respects it’s a road back to North Penn” said Daly about his personal swimming career and how it led him to coaching. Although he swam for Archbishop Wood in high school, in the off-season he swam for Rick Carroll and later Bill Berradelli. Caertainly to anyone on the swimming community, those names will sound familiar, as Carroll and Berardelli were central in the development of what is now a renown high school swimming program. The NPHS natatorium is named after  Rick Carroll, and Bill Berradelli is currently a social studies teacher at the high school.

Daly then went on to swim at Purdue University where he swam at the Big 10 Championships, the NCAA championships, the Olympic trials, and the U.S open. “Along the way I had some awesome coaches,” speaking of his coaches in college and in high school. “I think that’s why I got into coaching, I had some great experiences myself” Daly said.

The sign above Daly’s door “excellence doesn’t just happen. It is a decision you make every day” shines through in his personal swimming career and his pure dedication to the sport, shown through his accomplishments. Most important to Daly, though, is the excellence he has seen in his student-athletes.  In reflecting back on the teams he has had, Daly talks proudly of Pete Schmidely, a swimmer who earned the final spot in states a few seasons ago. Schmidley came on quietly that season, but it was his hard work and continuous improvement that earned him that final state berth – a pursuit of excellence that sticks in Daly’s mind as a great highlight of his coaching tenure.