Downingtown East coach Michael Matta is in the twilight of his career. But first, he reached one more milestone.
The longtime Cougars football coach says he's retiring at the end of the season. And he's not the only one, as Strath Haven coach Kevin Clancy also is hanging up his whistle.
After 45 years in football, including 24 years at Downingtown East High School, Michael Matta hit a major milestone last Friday when the Cougars beat Harry S. Truman High School, 42-12, in the first round of the District 1 6A playoffs: his 200th career victory.
“Two hundred wins just means that I am old and too stubborn to walk away,” Matta said, jokingly about his achievement.
“Eleven of the [coaching staff] come from the young people I’ve coached in years past,” Matta added. “That is gratifying to me, but also I think it says a lot about what we’re trying to develop in our culture, where kids and young people want to come back and be part of it. ... Three of my current players are kids of my former players.”
Downingtown East is coming off its third undefeated season, Matta said. Now, as his Cougars prepare to host Coatesville in the 6A District 1 quarterfinal at 7 p.m. Friday, Matta is preparing to wrap up his final season as head coach.
“It’s time to pass it on. I’ll be 67 years old and 45 years in the game,” he said. “It’s time to pass on to someone else, but it’s been a labor of love.”
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Matta’s football journey began in 1974, when he joined the freshman football team at Shawnee High School in Medford, N.J. From there, he played at Susquehanna University and then coached college football until joining the former Downingtown High School in 1997 as the defensive coordinator. When the school split into East and West ahead of the 2003 season, Matta was promoted to head coach.
“A lot of people can’t say that they love what they do and do what they love, and I’m fortunate enough for 45 years to be able to say that,” Matta said.
Over the years, it’s become less about wins and losses to Matta and more about building up young men in the community.
“Our goal is always to win, but we believe our purpose is much greater,” Matta said. “Our purpose is to help these young men become men of empathy and compassion, what kind of fathers they’re going to be, what kind of husbands they’re going to be, what kind of workers they’re going to be.”
This mindset is what Matta says helps unify his 99-player roster.
“In a huddle in high school football, we have a kid going to Villanova, but we also have a kid that’s going to Carnegie Mellon to become an engineer,” said Matta, whose roster also features Notre Dame pledge Abraham Sesay, the third-ranked edge rusher in the state. “I have an offensive center who’s going to be an HVAC guy. I have a guy that’s enlisting in the Marine Corps. One guy may be laying blocks next year, but they’re all pulling for the same thing as a team. It’s gratifying.”
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Matta isn’t the only longtime local coach retiring after this season. Strath Haven football coach Kevin Clancy also is laying down his whistle after 36 years, 394 career victories, and two PIAA titles.
What advice does Matta have for the coaches who will lead after him and Clancy?
“Kids don’t care unless they know you care about them,” Matta said. “Once you prove you care about them, they want to do anything. I think it’s important to have cultural values that are greater than the wins. You can’t look at the scoreboard. It can’t be about you. It has to be about helping develop young people and helping them become the best versions of themselves.”
