John Yocum was a championship quarterback at Wilson who has transformed Muhlenberg into a Berks Inter-County League football dynasty during his 18 years as head coach there. With 150 victories, John is posed to move past his high school head coach, the legendary John Gurski, into second place among Berks County’s all-time winningest football coaches. His .772 winning percentage also ranks No. 2 all-time among Inter-County League coaches. Overall, he has a 150-43-4 record as head coach. He has won a record six Inter-County League championships at Muhlenberg and has added four more Section 1 titles over the past six seasons.
In 2006 he became the first coach in Berks history to record 18 consecutive winning seasons; he has not experienced a losing season since taking the Muhlenberg job in 1989. Prior to John’s arrival, the Muhls had known just one winning season in the previous 15 years. He has been named Berks Coach of the Year twice and Inter-County League Coach of the Year four times. His teams have qualified for the District 3 playoffs seven times, including five times in the past six years. His 1992 team was selected No. 1 all-time when the Reading Eagle ranked the 50 greatest teams in Inter-County League history upon the league’s 50th anniversary in 2006. That team won its regular season games by average of 35.3 points, highest in Berks history.
During his playing days at Wilson, John played quarterback in 1968 and 1969, assisting the 1969 Bulldogs to an undefeated season and the Tri-County League championship. He went on to Gettysburg where he earned the starting quarterback job as a junior and moved to halfback his senior year. He has taught at Muhlenberg High School for 33 years.
Honored and humbled by the award, John credits the skills of his outstanding staff and the efforts of many dedicated players over the past 18 years. He is thankful for the ongoing support of the Muhlenberg faculty, administration, and community. Finally, he wishes to share this award with his sons, Josh and Travis, his parents, John and Anne and his wife Cheryl, in appreciation for their inspiration and loyalty.