Edward W. Schneider

Teacher, Wrestling Coach – Council Rock High School

Lifeguard – Captain of Wildwood Beach Patrol

35-year Wrestling Coach for PAL

One of PAL’s longest-serving volunteers

 

 

PAL History:

1978-80 – 26th District PAL – Officer Tommy Thomson

PAL Scholarship Recipient – Temple University

1987 – present  – Volunteer Wrestling Coach Rizzo (now 24th) PAL Center with PAL Officers Jim Houseman, Jim Gallagher, Ernie Rehr, and Paul Pugh

 PAL programs:

PAL Day at City Hall, baseball, math, computer, homework, field trips

Family and Friends:

Ed’s aunts, uncles and cousins were involved with PAL and he added, “Countless friends.”

PAL’s Influence on Ed’s Life:

“The greatest impact the Philadelphia Police Athletic League had on me occurred after I graduated from Northeast Catholic High School. I had no real direction for future or career decisions. In the fall of 1987, I started coaching wrestling at the Rizzo (now 24th) PAL Center. From that point on, my relationship with PAL, and Officers Jim Houseman and Ernie Rehr, led me to attack education with a fury.  PAL instilled in me values based on citizenship, scholarship and sportsmanship.  As a 35-year coach at PAL, I was able to pass the values on to over 3,000 boys and girls who passed through the wrestling program.

“In my almost 40-year relationship with PAL as both a baseball player and wrestling coach, the foundations of my education, virtue and professional adult life are directly based on interactions with the PAL Board of Directors, the PAL commanding officers, and most importantly the police officers who valued me as a young man. I strive to learn, teach and lead.

“I started volunteering at PAL in 1987.  For 34 years, I have been the wrestling coach and coordinator at Rizzo PAL.  This role put me at PAL two to three nights a week for 38 weeks a year. To my knowledge, I am the longest volunteer coach in Philadelphia PAL History.

“I am fortunate to have PAL.

“In 2022 I will be inducted into the United States National Wrestling Hall of Fame for service to the sport of wrestling. This is a direct result of the influence of PAL on my life.”

 

June 2022