Decker is Ridley football coach

Keeping it within the family, Ridley has tabbed former standout quarterback Dennis Decker as its head football coach. His recommendation was accepted Monday night at a school-board meeting.

"I'm very excited," Decker, 35, said. "It's an honor to be back at Ridley in a position that some great people have held before me, guys like John Waller, Ralph Batty, and Joe McNicholas.

Playing under McNicholas in 1990, Decker threw for 2,741 yards while helping lead the Green Raiders to a 12-1 record and the PIAA Class AAAA state championship game, a 21-14 loss to North Allegheny.

He was a first-team all-state pick and named by the Associated Press as the big-school player of the year.

Decker spent the last five seasons coaching at Glen Mills. He was the Battling Bulls' offensive coordinator for the last three years.

A 1991 graduate of Ridley, Decker is in his first year as a special education teacher at the high school.

Decker takes over for Waller, who retired after posting a 79-21 record in eight seasons.