Lower school physical education teacher and former long-time Baseball Director Mr. Bob Castell, has made a profound impact on thirty-three graduating classes.
On the baseball field and in the gym since the spring of 1993, Coach Castell is more than a coach—he’s a genuine and caring person.
“I will miss our daily talks about life, sports, and class,” lower school physical education teacher and Basketball Director Mr. Bernie Rogers said. “Coach Castell was always around to give a helping hand to anyone who needed it.”
Rogers noted that Castell’s impact extended well beyond day-to-day interactions.
“Coach Castell has been the leader in organizing our annual Philip Bishop Day,” Coach Rogers said.
On Phillip Bishop Day, a staple of the Haverford experience, students are split into teams of maroon and gold, and they battle it out in various athletic games to see which team wins for that year.
“His presence on and the lead-up to Phillip Bishop Day inspired my classmates and me to be competitive and really bring the community together,” Third Former Shaya Khojasteh said. “My brother is in third grade and has echoed this to me, which shows the tradition is still going strong thanks to Coach Castell.”
Coach Castell was many Haverford students’ first introduction to sports.
“He deeply cares about all the students and wants each boy to learn and grow during PE class,” Coach Rogers said. “It is not easy to coach younger children because physical activity is hard and requires mental toughness.”
“Coach Castell was a good coach to bring the introduction to sports for younger students,” Third Former Mason Choi said. “He was very creative with his activities, and he was a very nice guy overall.”
Coach Castell’s kindness and creativity led many Haverford students to become athletes.
“I think that one of the traits that stands out to me is his patience and calm demeanor, no matter the situation,” Athletics Director Mr. Michael Murphy said. “Especially as a baseball manager, no matter the situation, whether it was a really tight, hotly contested game or a game that may have been lopsided one way or another, Coach Castell always had a calm and relaxed demeanor. I think that really benefited his teams, and they fed off of that, staying calm and focused, no matter what was going on in the game at the time.”
“He, of course, wanted to win, but that was secondary to the educational mission of the experience.”
Mr. Michael Murphy
Coach Castell will forever be remembered, but not just because of his three Inter-Ac and four PAISAA titles. He will be remembered because of his personality, the way he is open to conversation, his embodiment of sportsmanship, and his character.
“One of his biggest impacts was that his philosophy and coaching style really reflected the mission of the school and the athletic program. That being: playing baseball was an educational experience, an extension of the classroom, if you will,” Mr. Murphy said. “He, of course, wanted to win, but that was secondary to the educational mission of the experience.”
Coach Castell stays rooted in gratitude even as he prepares to depart.
“It was always a privilege for me to coach one of the teams at Haverford,” Coach Castell said, “and I took a lot of pride in that.”