Skip to content
Rally High School Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Bill Manlove to be honored at Brooks Irving banquet

Bill Manlove, a South Jersey native who led Widener University in Chester, Pa., to a pair of NCAA Division III national titles, will be honored Monday night at the 68th annual Brooks Irvine Memorial Football Club banquet.

Bill Manlove, a South Jersey native who led Widener University in Chester, Pa., to a pair of NCAA Division III national titles, will be honored Monday night at the 68th annual Brooks Irvine Memorial Football Club banquet.

Manlove, a Haddon Heights High School graduate who began his coaching career at Gloucester High School in 1957, will be receive the Edward G. Myer Distinguished Service award at the dinner at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Cherry Hill.

The annual banquet also will feature the introduction of the all-South Jersey football team, selected by The Inquirer in conjunction with the club and area coaches.

The club will honor four college players of the year: Penn State's Gerald Hodges (Paulsboro), Maine's Chris Howley (Triton), Johns Hopkins' Taylor Maciow (Cherokee), and Gettysburg's Kody Smith (Shawnee).

The club's sportsmanship award will be presented to Bishop Eustace Prep.

Steve Yaffa of Lenape will receive the club's scholarship award, and William Cioffi of Pitman will receive the Ed Miersch Scholarship.

Manlove was head coach at Gloucester from 1960 to '65 and at Oakcrest for the next two seasons. He took over at Widener in 1969, when the school still was known as Pennsylvania Military College.

From 1972 to '81, Manlove's teams went an astounding 95-9, never losing more than once in a season. He coached future NFL star Billy "White Shoes" Johnson in the early 1970s. His 1977 and 1981 teams won the NCAA Division III national title.

Manlove also coached at Delaware Valley College (1992-97) and La Salle (1997-2001). He finished his career with a 212-110-1 record, including a 182-53-1 record at Widener.

Manlove was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

For ticket information, e-mail the club at

brooksirvinefb@aol.com or telephone Bill Sonsini at 856-912-1185.