Sorber's Blueprint For Success: A Look at What Makes the Head Ghost Tick
Barry F. Hess
August 23, 2006
ABINGTON---For Abington football coach Tim Sorber the words success and football are synonymous.
Heading into his sixth year as head coach of the very team he played on as a high school athlete, Sorber finds himself in the longest drought of his football career without any sort of championship to celebrate.
He is looking to break that streak in 2006 with a talented Ghost team he has built over the last several years that missed the post-season by only one game last year.
Sorber’s success on the football field started as an offensive tackle for the maroon and white.
As a senior he was part of the last championship team the Abington football program celebrated, an undefeated campaign in 1989.
That 89’ team was a special team,” Sorber recollected. “We were a very talented team with a great group of seniors that were leaders…we kind of collectedly as a group of seniors decided that we were the guys that were going to win or lose games. We really dedicated ourselves to sort of refuse to lose and I have very fond memories from that team still today.”
After enjoying a successful high school career Sorber continued up the ranks as a player and eventually decided to go to college at Millersville University, a Division II program in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Athletic Conference.
After red shirting his freshman year Sorber started every game for the next four seasons at right tackle for the Marauders, helping his team to two PSAC championships in his sophomore year of 1993 and his senior year in 1995.
At Millersville we had a lot of success but we were never the most talented team, we were maybe the second or third most talented team in our league yet we had instilled in us, if you get 11 guys working together and working hard you are going to be successful and we were,” said Sorber.
During his time at the state school the Marauders enjoyed a record of 32-8-1and it was during that period Sorber realized a career in football was for him.
Playing at the college level was where I really knew that I wanted to do something with this game after college,” Sorber said. “I knew my senior year that I wasn’t going to play in the pros or anything like that so as an education major I realized I could get into coaching.”
After concluding an eight year varsity football career that included three championships, playoff appearances, All-League and All Conference honors and various other accolades Sorber’s success on the football field began to form the person he his today.
I learned so many things as an 18 and 19–year old through football,” Sorber said. “Maturity and accountability and a few other things that I really needed to learn as a young man. I just have a lot of good memories and have made a lot of close friends over the years in this sport.”
After his days as a player were over Sorber still found himself, thanks to his old high school coach and a little bit of luck, having success on the football field, literally.
After graduating from Millersville as an education major Sorber came back to Abington to coach the offensive line under his former head coach Doug Moister, an experience he will not soon forget.
There have been about four men that I can say have been influential in my life and Doug Moister is one of them,” Sorber said. “He is the kind of guy that if I were to have a son I would want a guy like Doug Moister to be a part of his life. He is such a quality person, he has tremendous character…he is one of the most quality people that there is I am very appreciative of what Doug has done for me and how he has been a mentor to me over the years.”
In addition to everything he learned from Moister on the football field Sorber also credits his former coach to helping jumpstart his teaching career.
During a pre-season practice in 1996 Moister recommended Sorber for an open teaching position in the social studies department to Dr. Robert Burt, principle of the high school.
Dr. Burt interviewed me for about 20 minutes on the football field and after practice I literally walked over to the administration building with football cleats on…interviewed with the department chairmen and got hired with football cleats and a pair of shorts on.”
After solidifying a position in an award winning school district Sorber continued to focus on his coaching skills, something that didn’t exactly occur overnight.
A lot of guys come out of college and think they know a lot about football but until you’re in that position you don’t realize how much you don’t know about football,” said Sorber.
That said, however, after coaching as an assistant for just four years under his former coach as well as Marshall Roberts, who replaced Moister for just one season, Sorber was named head coach in 2000 and given the opportunity to leave his mark on the program he enjoyed so much success with as a player, a task he gets closer and closer to achieving with each passing year.
After a 7-5 season in 2005, the team’s first winning season since the championship of 89’, Sorber credits much of his success as a coach to everything he learned while a player and an assistant.
One thing I learned in college and from Doug and also Marshal…you want to fit your scheme into the players that you have and not vice versa,” said Sorber. “You can’t say, this is what we’re going to run and you better adapt to it, it won’t work that way. I really believe you win not with the best players but with the kids who fit and believe into the system you run.”
In 2005 Sorber proved that theory correct when he and his staff decided to change the offense from a methodical ground attack to a more potent, air attack with the arrival of sophomore quarterback Kevin Morton.
I took a coaching class once and they asked me to write down my philosophy, I hate to be that general, sometimes I think my philosophy changes from year to year. I didn’t do very well in that class,” Sorber said jokingly.
Whether his philosophy changes annually or not Sorber is counting on the success he enjoyed last year to continue.
But win or loss, championship or no championship Sorber continues to believe his job as head coach goes much further than X’s and O’s.
I want to build in every single one of our kids certain aspects that they can take out of football,” Sorber said. “Hard work, accountability, the ability to work well with others, the ability to work through adversity. All these things I think in order for you to be successful in life you need to learn somewhere. Life is tough and you can’t sugar coat things. I care about these kids and eventually they are going to learn that these things are going to make them better people.”
Heading into his sixth year as head coach of the very team he played on as a high school athlete, Sorber finds himself in the longest drought of his football career without any sort of championship to celebrate.
He is looking to break that streak in 2006 with a talented Ghost team he has built over the last several years that missed the post-season by only one game last year.
Sorber’s success on the football field started as an offensive tackle for the maroon and white.
As a senior he was part of the last championship team the Abington football program celebrated, an undefeated campaign in 1989.
That 89’ team was a special team,” Sorber recollected. “We were a very talented team with a great group of seniors that were leaders…we kind of collectedly as a group of seniors decided that we were the guys that were going to win or lose games. We really dedicated ourselves to sort of refuse to lose and I have very fond memories from that team still today.”
After enjoying a successful high school career Sorber continued up the ranks as a player and eventually decided to go to college at Millersville University, a Division II program in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Athletic Conference.
After red shirting his freshman year Sorber started every game for the next four seasons at right tackle for the Marauders, helping his team to two PSAC championships in his sophomore year of 1993 and his senior year in 1995.
At Millersville we had a lot of success but we were never the most talented team, we were maybe the second or third most talented team in our league yet we had instilled in us, if you get 11 guys working together and working hard you are going to be successful and we were,” said Sorber.
During his time at the state school the Marauders enjoyed a record of 32-8-1and it was during that period Sorber realized a career in football was for him.
Playing at the college level was where I really knew that I wanted to do something with this game after college,” Sorber said. “I knew my senior year that I wasn’t going to play in the pros or anything like that so as an education major I realized I could get into coaching.”
After concluding an eight year varsity football career that included three championships, playoff appearances, All-League and All Conference honors and various other accolades Sorber’s success on the football field began to form the person he his today.
I learned so many things as an 18 and 19–year old through football,” Sorber said. “Maturity and accountability and a few other things that I really needed to learn as a young man. I just have a lot of good memories and have made a lot of close friends over the years in this sport.”
After his days as a player were over Sorber still found himself, thanks to his old high school coach and a little bit of luck, having success on the football field, literally.
After graduating from Millersville as an education major Sorber came back to Abington to coach the offensive line under his former head coach Doug Moister, an experience he will not soon forget.
There have been about four men that I can say have been influential in my life and Doug Moister is one of them,” Sorber said. “He is the kind of guy that if I were to have a son I would want a guy like Doug Moister to be a part of his life. He is such a quality person, he has tremendous character…he is one of the most quality people that there is I am very appreciative of what Doug has done for me and how he has been a mentor to me over the years.”
In addition to everything he learned from Moister on the football field Sorber also credits his former coach to helping jumpstart his teaching career.
During a pre-season practice in 1996 Moister recommended Sorber for an open teaching position in the social studies department to Dr. Robert Burt, principle of the high school.
Dr. Burt interviewed me for about 20 minutes on the football field and after practice I literally walked over to the administration building with football cleats on…interviewed with the department chairmen and got hired with football cleats and a pair of shorts on.”
After solidifying a position in an award winning school district Sorber continued to focus on his coaching skills, something that didn’t exactly occur overnight.
A lot of guys come out of college and think they know a lot about football but until you’re in that position you don’t realize how much you don’t know about football,” said Sorber.
That said, however, after coaching as an assistant for just four years under his former coach as well as Marshall Roberts, who replaced Moister for just one season, Sorber was named head coach in 2000 and given the opportunity to leave his mark on the program he enjoyed so much success with as a player, a task he gets closer and closer to achieving with each passing year.
After a 7-5 season in 2005, the team’s first winning season since the championship of 89’, Sorber credits much of his success as a coach to everything he learned while a player and an assistant.
One thing I learned in college and from Doug and also Marshal…you want to fit your scheme into the players that you have and not vice versa,” said Sorber. “You can’t say, this is what we’re going to run and you better adapt to it, it won’t work that way. I really believe you win not with the best players but with the kids who fit and believe into the system you run.”
In 2005 Sorber proved that theory correct when he and his staff decided to change the offense from a methodical ground attack to a more potent, air attack with the arrival of sophomore quarterback Kevin Morton.
I took a coaching class once and they asked me to write down my philosophy, I hate to be that general, sometimes I think my philosophy changes from year to year. I didn’t do very well in that class,” Sorber said jokingly.
Whether his philosophy changes annually or not Sorber is counting on the success he enjoyed last year to continue.
But win or loss, championship or no championship Sorber continues to believe his job as head coach goes much further than X’s and O’s.
I want to build in every single one of our kids certain aspects that they can take out of football,” Sorber said. “Hard work, accountability, the ability to work well with others, the ability to work through adversity. All these things I think in order for you to be successful in life you need to learn somewhere. Life is tough and you can’t sugar coat things. I care about these kids and eventually they are going to learn that these things are going to make them better people.”
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