SUGAR GROVE ― Tony Hurps was an outstanding high school running back playing at tradition-rich Newark Catholic High School.
He played college football at the University of Dayton, which is where he learned to deal with adversity. After earning a starting spot in the backfield for the Flyers, who won a national championship in Hurps’ junior season, he had to deal with some major injuries that all but cut his college career short.
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Even though he had multiple knee surgeries, he kept coming back. Feeling unfulfilled, he decided to become a coach, first as an assistant coach, then as head coach at Fisher Catholic for four years before moving on to being the head coach at Berne Union.
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Tony Hurps, who led the Rockets to back-to-back Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championships in 2020-2021, is beginning his eighth season as head coach. Hurps’ family includes his children, from left to right, Gracyn, Riddick, Jordyn, and his wife, Alicia.
Hurps is entering his eighth season at the helm for the Rockets. He led them to an undefeated regular season in 2021, which was the first time that had happened since 1986. In 2020, Berne Union won two playoff games for the first time in school history, and in both seasons, the Rockets won the Mid-State League-Cardinal Division championship.
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Here is our conversation:
Question: Where did you go to high school? Did you play sports, and what was your high school experience like?
Tony Hurps: “I went to Newark Catholic High School and played football for four years, played basketball my freshman year, and played baseball through my junior year, and once I knew I was going to play football in college, I decided track would be beneficial, so I ran track my senior year. I loved my high school experience, and I tell our players all the time, there is nothing like high school athletics, especially high school football. There is nothing like playing for your hometown, your school, and your teammates. Just that camaraderie is special.”
Q: Did you play sports in college, and if so, what position did you play?
Hurps: “I was a running back in high school and college and played linebacker in high school, as well. I played football at the University of Dayton. We won four league championships and a national championship in my junior year. It was a great experience.”
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Q: What were some of the lessons you learned playing sports that have helped you today?
Hurps: “Overcoming adversity, and I preach that to our kids all the time. You are going to have ups and downs. In life, it is the same way. You might get fired from a job, dumped by a girlfriend, have family issues, whatever it may be, you are going to have peaks and valleys. That’s what football is, and that is what life is. I tell them all the time we are getting you ready for life, and anything on the field is a bonus for you.”
Q: Who were some of the biggest influences on you growing up that have made you into the person you are today?
Hurps: “Growing up and going to Newark Catholic, they were good and won a lot of state championships in football. Rob Kelly comes to mind as an athlete whom I looked up to. They won the state championship in 1991, and he played at Ohio State and excelled. I thought he came from my hometown, and I could do that, too. That was the goal growing up, to win a state championship, that’s just what you did at Newark Catholic. Long-time NC coach J.D. Graham was a great coach, and my coach at Dayton, Mike Kelly, is a great coach. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He gave me more lessons than I wanted to admit at the time, but now that I am a coach and can look back on it, I appreciate everything he did for me while I was there.”
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Q: You go from being an assistant coach to a head coach, which is a whole different deal. What do you think you have learned from the first year as a head coach to now?
Hurps: “Being a head coach is more than just the X’s and O’s. When I was a young coach, I thought I had the answer for everything, as most young coaches probably do, but then I realized that being a head coach involves a lot of other responsibilities. You have to be organized. You’re trying to get kids to play, talking to parents, having meetings, ordering equipment, all the stuff you didn’t realize you had to do as an assistant coach because you never saw that aspect of it. I think I have a good staff, and I know I can lean on them. It’s about connecting with the players, the elementary kids. We have struggled with numbers here because it is a small school. We started flag football for our younger kids, and that is a huge step in the right direction. Being here as long as I have, we have an alumni base who know me and understand what I’m all about, and getting some of those to come back and coach is a huge testament to what we do here and how we run things.”
Q: As a coach, how important is it, as far as building relationships with your players and them knowing that you truly care about them?
Hurps: “I think it is everything. I think I have built good relationships with our players and the guys who have played for me. It’s year-round for us. It never stops. I’m in the weight room before school and after school four days a week in the offseason, so I get to know kids there. It’s that way with all our athletes and let them know that I care about their success and their sports. Our athletes that are in the weight room know that I care. I try to attend all sorts of sporting events to support our kids. It is all about relationships. When they come in early, I will cook for them because they are making a sacrifice for me and their team, so I feel like it’s on me to do something for them. If kids need a ride, I tell them to call me. They shouldn’t have to miss a workout because they don’t have transportation. That’s not the kid’s fault. They understand they can always come and talk to me if they have any problems.”
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Q: I always end these interviews with this question. Tell me something about yourself that people wouldn’t know?
Hurps: “A lot of people don’t know about all my injuries in college. After earning a starting spot at running back my sophomore year in college, I tore my ACL the first time I touched the ball on a kickoff return, it was a non-contact injury and missed my entire sophomore season, and came back as a junior, I thought I would get my spot back, but the kid that took my place the year before had a good season, so we were splitting time, but I knew I didn’t have my explosiveness back, I wasn’t truly back, but I was able to get my starting spot back again. We were playing sand volleyball, and I stepped on a piece of glass and had to have surgery. I came back and was able to have a couple of good games, then partially tore my ACL again. I missed the rest of the season. I came back in the offseason, and we were doing box jumps in the offseason, and once again partially tore that ACL and had another surgery. I tried to come back and play again for my fifth year, but I tore my ACL in my other knee. I then had a staph infection, but I had complications from that, and it was more serious than I thought at the time because I could have lost my leg. I did all that because I just wanted to play football. I just wanted more, and I think that’s why I coach, because of the feeling you get with the guys and with the team on Friday nights, at practice in front of the fans, it keeps me young and keeps me involved in the game.”
Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @twil2323.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Sunday Conversation: Catching up with Berne Union football coach Tony Hurps
