Sports Academy at The Haverford School

Excellence Through Instruction

Just as The Haverford School aims to prepare boys for life, our Sports Academy strives to develop the potential of the whole boy through athletics.

We believe that participation in sport pays lifelong dividends. The Sports Academy will develop the skills, discipline, and strong character necessary for every boy to reach his highest potential. Participants will learn fundamentals and strategies regarding their individual sport while emphasizing respect, honesty, and courage, all core virtues of The Haverford School.

A professional coaching staff will emphasize fun and engagement, ensuring that boys will learn something about their sport, about themselves, and about lifelong health and wellness.

Legacy and Leadership

Your son will be part of a rich tradition of Haverford School athletics, which consistently produces NCAA athletes while also working with students who simply want to be their best -- of sound mind and body. The Haverford School's athletic philosophy and belief in the multi-sport approach has produced 18 Heyward Cup Championships, awarded for excellence across all sports in the Inter-Academic Athletic League. This is more than any other league member.

Our Sports Academy is held on our Main Line campus, easily accessible to public transportation.

Leadership of the Sports Academy includes head coaches from the School's varsity program, assistant varsity coaches, as well as current and former players. Our coaches are experts in their fields and display an unmatched level of passion, energy, and excitement.

Basketball, Bernie Rogers

Bernie Rogers has been head coach of the varsity basketball team at The Haverford School since 2015. In 2019, Rogers coached the Fords to a perfect 28-0 season, capturing an Inter-Ac title and a Pennsylvania Independent School State Championship with a win over Westtown School.

He spent 15 years at Archbishop Ryan High School, where he led his squad to two Philadelphia Catholic League Championship appearances. He was named Coach of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2007, and 2008 and currently holds the record for most wins in the school’s history. Rogers began his career as an assistant coach at Arcadia University working with Chris Mooney, the current head coach at the University of Richmond.

Rogers played college basketball and graduated from Ursinus College. In high school, Rogers was named the 1992 Catholic League Sportsman of the Year and still holds the record for most career assists at Archbishop Ryan.

Football, Brian Martin

Brian Martin has been coaching football for 17 years at Haverford and will take the reins from Mike Murphy in fall 2020 as head varsity football coach. Martin served as defensive coordinator during the most successful run of Haverford School Football from 2009-2015. During that time, the Fords captured five Inter-Ac titles in seven years, including three straight titles from 2013-2015.

Martin is a 16-year faculty member in the Physical Education Department and has coached lacrosse and Strength & Conditioning at Haverford.

Lacrosse, Brendan Dawson

Brendan Dawson is the head varsity lacrosse coach at The Haverford School and also serves as the assistant athletic director.

Before coming to Haverford, Dawson was the men's lacrosse head coach at Haverford College, where he was the 2018 Centennial Conference Coach of the Year. He led the college to its first postseason appearance in seven years in 2018; the team was ranked in the top 15 nationally.

Prior to Haverford College, Dawson spent five years as head coach at Widener. His teams made the Commonwealth playoffs during each of his years at the helm, with two appearances in the conference finals. He was named the Commonwealth Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016. Dawson also started men’s lacrosse at Aurora University in Illinois. Named head coach prior to the 2009-10 academic year, he led Aurora to 11 wins in its inaugural season on his way to being named the Midwest Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year.

Dawson had a four-year career at Salisbury, helping the team to Division III National Championships in 2003 and 2004 when he served as team captain. He was named first-team All-Capital Athletic Conference in 2002 and was a member of the school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Over his four seasons as a student-athlete, the Sea Gulls notched a 58-7 cumulative record.

Dawson graduated from Salisbury in 2004 with a B.A. in history and political science. He earned an M.A. in teaching from Salisbury in 2008.

Offerings

The Sports Academy at The Haverford School is open to boys in kindergarten through sixth grade, depending on the sports offering. Learn more by exploring below. Questions? Please call 610-642-0246.