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New PDS Football Coach Devlin Looking to Impart Life Lessons
By Bill Alden
For Bruce Devlin, participating in athletics as he was growing up filled a major void in his life.
Raised by his mother from age one after his father left the family, Devlin, a Ewing native, turned to sports in second grade to help make up for the lack of a constant male influence at home.
No matter what the season, Devlin could be found on a field or in a park playing a sport. Utilizing his speed, Devlin starred at Ewing High as an outfielder in baseball and as a defensive back in football.
After his playing days ended, Devlin stayed connected to athletics, coaching at several levels in Ewing's youth baseball program. In 2000, Devlin became an assistant coach with the Princeton Day School football team. A year later, he was selected to be the head coach of the school's baseball program.
This fall, Devlin is filling a void in the PDS football program as he takes over as head coach, replacing his friend Bill Martin, who resigned from the position last fall after the team posted a 2-6 season.
With practice starting this week, Devlin is looking forward to following in Martin's footsteps. "Billy and I are like brothers," said the down-to-earth Devlin in a recent interview at the PDS rink. "When he told me he was leaving, I wanted to apply for the job because I didn't want the kids to have to start all over again with another coach. The best thing is to give the kids consistency."
Devlin also wants to instill some of the important lessons he has learned from his involvement in football. "Football is unlike any other sport," asserted Devlin with his voice rising and his eyes widening.
"It teaches you life lessons, you're out there on the field with 10 other guys and you all have to do the same thing. The bond you make with these guys is unreal. It teaches you values that you remember all of your life. You're put in situations where you have to count on other people to be on the same page."
Devlin learned a lot about winning as the football teams he played on in his youth didn't lose a game from sixth grade until his junior year in high school. He proudly notes that he was on the Ewing squad that won the Group 3 state title in 1986, an experience he says he'll never forget.
"I played for some real good coaches at Ewing," recalled Devlin, who lives in Ewing with his wife Danielle and their three children, Dallas, age seven, Abigail, five, and Clayton, one.
"I tell these guys today that when you're a kid you don't think these guys know what they're talking about but as you get older you realize that everything they told you is true. Sports have made a big difference in my life."
Based on what he has seen in the PDS students in his three years at the school, Devlin believes his players are open to learning those lessons.
"The kids here are very smart, very respectful, and they want to learn," said Devlin, who works in the school's grounds department when he isn't coaching. "Coming from a public school background everyone told me that the kids here might be spoiled but they're not that way at all. They want to be challenged, they want the hard stuff."
Devlin is going to give it his all to make sure that his players are challenged. "I started working on things during baseball season," explained Devlin. "I started meeting with my defensive coordinator (Scott Rogers) in May. We started meeting as a coaching staff in June. We've got some things ready for the guys."
But with the positive influence sports has had on various aspects of his life, Devlin isn't about to limit his coaching to Xs and Os.
"We also have fun while we're doing it, I get
along great with the kids" asserted Devlin. "Since I
work here all day, the kids can come and see me. I help them at
whatever they need — life, homework, girlfriends. I'm like
a father to them, I really enjoy that."
