George Curry was enjoying life away from coaching.
He finally had a chance to take extended vacations with his wife, Jackie. He had more time to spend with his six grandchildren. And his high school football fix was eased by his work as a radio and television analyst.
Then, unexpectedly, the opportunity to return to Berwick, where he spent 35 seasons and guided the Dawgs to six PIAA Class AAA state championships, presented itself.
In mid-June, Gary Campbell, who had replaced Curry at the Northeastern Pennsylvania school, announced that he was stepping down and taking a position in his home state of Massachusetts.
"The other coaches wanted me to take it, the school board wanted me to take it, and the players wanted me to take it," Curry said. "It was a whirlwind, to be honest with you. I was totally retired."
Life as a retiree was nice, but not good enough to keep Curry away from his beloved Dawgs. He took the job on June 17, ending a three-year sabbatical.
"I told my wife I'd see her at Christmas," the 68-year-old joked. "That's just the way it is."
This is Curry's second return to the sideline. When the coaching bug hit him almost immediately after he stepped down at Berwick in 2005, he coached for three years at nearby Wyoming Valley West.
So far, his second stint with the Dawgs has been a major success. The squad has won its first three games by a combined 139-35. It routed visiting Dallas, 50-14, Friday night.
"Once I got in it, it was like I never left," said Curry, a part-time driver's education instructor. "I love it. I love what I'm doing."
All but two of Curry's coaching assistants have played for him. And many of the 72 varsity players are second-generation Dawgs.
When Curry took over in June, his first meeting with his players was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. "They were in their chairs at 8 o'clock, waiting for me," he said. "I guess they had been told about the importance I put on being on time."
C.J. Curry, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound junior and Berwick's starting quarterback, is the coach's grandson. "I would have taken the job regardless," George Curry said. "The fact he was there, it was like an added bonus."
At three schools, Curry has an overall record of 416-93-5 record (.814 winning percentage). At age 21, after serving as a freshman coach at Temple under George Makris, he began his head-coaching career at Lake-Lehman.
"Coaching is a very time-consuming job," Curry said. "It's a 12-month job. You work harder in the offseason than you do during the season."
Has he altered his approach to coaching?
"I've got my ways," he said. "I'm not changing. I expect certain things. The kids accept it. They've bought into what we're trying to do here."
Berwick, under Curry, won state titles in 1988, '92, '94, '95, '96, and '97. Ron Powlus starred at quarterback for the Dawgs in the early 1990s, went on to play at Notre Dame, and is now the QBs coach at Kansas.
Curry's only son - he and wife Jackie have three daughters - and C.J.'s father, Cos, played fullback and nose guard for the Dawgs. A wishbone fullback at The Citadel, he is now superintendent of the Bloomsburg Area School District.
Said George Curry: "I always tell the players, 'Your brains will take you further than your legs.' We've had kids go on to Ivy League schools, West Point, Annapolis. That's the rewarding part."
Curry says he has told the Berwick School Board that he will assess his future with the Dawgs at the end of the season.
"If I'm OK health-wise and the board still wants me, then I'll be here," he said. "Right now, it's a lot of fun. It's good to be back."