Beloved Triton football coach led storied life; Jim Doyle passes away at 93

Jim Doyle certainly knew how to tell a story.

While many of his tales were inspirational, others would end with his trademark raspy laugh.

Whether the tone was serious or comical, “Coach Doyle” made a lasting impression on generations of his athletes and students at Triton Regional High School, many of whom can still recite the stories.

Doyle, a head coach in football and track and field as well as a physical education teacher for over 35 years, passed away on Thursday. He was 93.

“He coached me 44 years ago and the lessons I learned from him still impact me today,” said Tony Trongone, a 1980 Triton grad and all-conference defensive end who is now the superintendent for the Millville School District.

“Coach Doyle gave the best speeches. When he gave that speech before a game, you would run through a wall for him. … He was a class act and he was the man at Triton.”

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Bob Smith had a close relationship with Doyle, with whom he coached. Their desks were right next to each other in the physical education department at Triton. They, along with future head football coach Fred Ewell, even worked a summer job together making deliveries for Sears.

“He always told it like it was,” Smith said. “Just a tremendous guy, who was down to earth.”

Doyle led Triton football during its golden era, guiding the Mustangs to a 70-48-7 record over 12 seasons, including the unbeaten 1968 squad and the first-ever South Jersey Group 4 championship in 1973 when the title was awarded on strength of schedule.

“He was a coach that turned into a lifelong friend,” said Ed McLaughlin, who was a guard on the defensive line on the 1968 team. “He was always poised under pressure. He’d say, ‘Stay with me, stay focused and we will win.’ He was right.”

McLaughlin said Doyle remained active long after his retirement, playing plenty of golf and helping with the Triton Athletic Hall of Fame committee.

Doyle was a constant spectator at the Thanksgiving Day games against rival Highland, although McLaughlin said the ol’ ball coach rarely saw much of those contests.

“The entire game, people were always coming up to him, shaking his hands and talking about the old days,” McLaughlin said. “He meant so much to so many people.”

Mark Bergman wasn’t a star on the gridiron, but he said Doyle made everyone feel like one.

“He always made you feel important and he knew every kid on that field,” Bergman said. “He was a motivator and a stickler for details, but everything was done in a positive way.”

Doyle led the Mustangs’ boys track program from 1972-1992, earning an Olympic Conference title in 1976.

After retiring from teaching in 1992, Doyle would become a charter inductee of the Triton Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. The school also plans to honor Doyle posthumously with the Coach Jim Doyle Pavilion on the grounds of John Oakes Stadium.

Before he was the man at Tri-High in Runnemede, Doyle grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Roman Catholic High School (Class of 1948). He later played football and golf at Temple University before starting his family in Cherry Hill.

Doyle’s coaching career began at Glassboro where he led the track and field (1956-66) and football (1960-65) programs.

“He was a legend in Glassboro,” said Bob Mannino, a Glassboro native who would later become a colleague of Doyle’s at Triton as a teacher, coach and athletic director. “The football coach in Glassboro is like the mayor and that’s what he was.”

Doyle led Glassboro to the Olympic Conference and Gloucester County championships in 1964 when the Bulldogs went 8-1 with four shutouts. While at Glassboro, he would mentor Marvin Slomsky, who later became a legendary coach for the program and for whom the school’s stadium is named.

During his time as track and field coach, Doyle was part of the first-ever athletic event in Olympic Conference history, a track meet on May 16, 1959 with the conference’s five original schools – Williamstown, Edgewood, Delaware Township, Deptford and Glassboro.

Doyle was inducted into the Glassboro High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

After a brief stint at Lenape where he coached football in 1966, Doyle began his legendary run at Triton.

“Coach Doyle was an icon in South Jersey football back in the 60s and 70s,” Trongone said.

Relatives and friends are invited to a viewing which will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Catholic Church of St. Mary, 2001 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m., also at St. Mary’s, with the interment and military honors to follow at Locustwood Memorial Park, Cherry Hill, NJ.  There is no morning viewing at church before Mass.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The Coach Jim Doyle Pavilion c/o Triton High School: c/o Melissa Sheppard, Principal: 250 Schubert Avenue, Runnemede, NJ 08078 or Samaritan Hospice: c/o Samaritan Gift Processing Center: P.O. Box 71425, Philadelphia, PA 19176-1425. Please write in memo: James J. Doyle, Sr.

Condolences and Memories may be shared at www.mccannhealey.com under the obituary of James J. Doyle, Sr. Funeral Arrangements and Inquiries may be made through: McCann-Healey Funeral Home, Gloucester City.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Former Triton, Glassboro football coach Jim Doyle dies at 93