Barry Kirsch: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

On Saturday, October 7, 2017, the Archbishop John Carroll Hall of Fame honored a valuable member of the Carroll community, Mr. Barry Kirsch. He was born on April 26, 1943 and was raised in a family of nine children. In his younger years, he was dedicated to baseball and basketball. He even had a soft spot for music! He graduated from Villanova University in 1965, then dedicated himself to coaching a local school in Norristown. After his first teaching job at that school, Mr. Kirsch set foot onto Archbishop Carroll’s campus in 1968 and has been a math teacher here ever since. In his early career at Archbishop Carroll, Mr. Kirsch assumed the position of head coach of the freshman boy’s baseball team, earning them the Southern Division title in 1973. He also became the coach of the Freshman and Varsity Boy’s Basketball team until he retired from it in 1981. He took over coaching the Girl’s Basketball team and led the girls to victory in the Catholic League in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2007. Mr. Kirsch, raised in a family of strong faith, instilled these virtues in Carroll when he took the Pro-Life Club under his wing in 1988. While he accomplished so much for the school, he insists that his wife, Terry, three children and later on six grandchildren are his biggest legacy.

The Carroll Times would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Kirsch for his dedication to Archbishop Carroll, which is displayed through his 50 years of service. Thousands of students, hundred of athletes, and many more appreciate all that he has done for this community and words cannot begin to describe how much you have contributed to our school.

From the words of Mr. Kirsch himself, “Students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” We honestly cannot name a teacher who portrays this quality better than Mr. Kirsch.