Gary Kochersperger, retired teacher, longtime basketball coach, and athletic director at Upper Moreland High School, has died at 80
He taught accounting and business law classes, and coached hundreds of boys in more than 300 games during his 35-year career at Upper Moreland.
Gary Kochersperger, 80, of Hatboro, retired teacher, longtime boys’ basketball coach, and athletic director at Upper Moreland High School, star college player, veteran, and volunteer, died Friday, Jan. 10, of cancer at his home.
Known for his intensity and animated actions on the basketball courts he prowled for two decades, and the inspiring dedication he showed to his players, students, and community, Mr. Kochersperger taught accounting and business law classes, coached hundreds of players in more than 300 games, and doubled as athletic director during his 35-year career at Upper Moreland.
Former students called him a “great teacher” and a “UM icon” in a Facebook tribute. They said that he was “fun and interesting” and that his classes were “one of the highlights” of their day.
“He was the absolute best,” a former basketball team manager said. “He made me feel like I was part of the family.”
He was hired at Upper Moreland in Willow Grove to teach in 1971. He was promoted from assistant boys’ basketball coach to head coach in 1975 and led the Golden Bears to many memorable seasons before he retired in 1995. They made the second round of the District 1 playoffs in 1984, went 14-8 in 1985, and advanced to the district semifinals in 1992.
He coached many of the area’s star players, including his sons, Todd and Keith, and was happy that he remained close to so many of them over the years. This year’s team honored him at a recent game and wore his GK initials on their uniforms.
“I’ve found out that sometimes, you can be more successful if you turn the game over to the kids.”
A fellow coach praised his “class and professionalism” in a tribute, and a former player said: “He certainly was the best coach I ever had.”
Sometimes, when it got noisy in the gym because the game was close, Mr. Kochersperger would kick the wooden bleachers to get his players’ attention. In a 1993 story, Inquirer writer Joe Fite said: “His face would get red, and the veins would bulge out of his neck. His voice was unmistakable. And then there was The Look. He would hit a player with a stare that could wither. If you got The Look, you had better not make the same mistake again.”
Over time, he mellowed. “Up to about maybe four years ago, I was really a taskmaster, a kind of an overbearing kind of individual,” Mr. Kochersperger told The Inquirer in 1993. “When we knew we were going to lose because we didn’t have the ability to keep up, I sort of took a little different approach. … I kind of calmed myself down.”
For many years, Mr. Kochersperger volunteered as the District 1 chair of basketball and volleyball for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. So, as in his role as athletic director, he scheduled games, hired referees, arranged transportation, and generally handled the many situations that confront administrators in high school sports.
“In the past, we played not to get beat. We said let’s hold on and see what happens. Not anymore. We’ll be playing to win. This is long-term.”
He retired altogether in 2006 and then chipped in as an assistant coach at Abington Friends School for a few years. He was an avid volunteer with the Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising and education efforts, and earned its 2012 Charles Dinsmore Award for service.
“He was strict with his players about basketball but compassionate, too,” his wife, Chris, said, “and he helped so many of them.”
A 6-foot-3 guard as a player, Mr. Kochersperger earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi, played from 1964 to 1967, and averaged 17.1 points over three seasons. He remains among the school’s top all-time scorers with 1,217 career points.
He was even invited to training camp with the NBA’s New York Knicks in 1969 and roomed with future Hall of Famer Bill Bradley. He didn’t make the team.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in business, served two years in the Army, and got his teaching credentials at Temple University. He was an assistant coach for three years and assistant athletic director at Upper Moreland before being promoted.
“He liked interacting with the students and administration,” his wife said, “and he loved going to school.”
Gary Lee Kochersperger was born Dec. 18, 1944, in Chestnut Hill. He grew up in Roslyn, Montgomery County, was a star basketball player at Abington High School, and graduated in 1962.
He met Chris Fite in high school, and they married in 1970, and had sons Todd and Keith. They lived in Glenside and Hatboro, and enjoyed summer vacations in the islands and sunny beach days with friends in Sea Isle City, N.J.
He did construction jobs in the summer and had his own contracting business on the side for a time. He liked to give his students nicknames, and several of them said his career guidance helped them determine their future.
“He expected a lot from people,” his wife said. “But he was friendly, and he loved teaching.”
In addition to his wife and sons, Mr. Kochersperger is survived by two granddaughters, a sister, a brother, and other relatives.
Services were held on Jan. 25.
Donations in his name may be made to the V Foundation for cancer research, 14600 Weston Parkway, Cary, N.C. 27513; and the American Association for Cancer Research, 615 Chestnut St., 17th Floor, Philadelphia, Pa. 19106.