CHAD BRUBAKER
In Coach Brubaker's 14 years at Spring-Ford, the Rams have gone 118-42 (.738) and won four Pioneer Athletic Conference Titles. The 2023 team became the twelfth team in thirteen years to reach the PIAA District 1 AAAAAA playoffs and has the longest consecutive years making the playoffs streak in District 1 AAAAAA with nine. The 2012 squad was the first Spring-Ford team to win a PIAA AAAA District I playoff game, as they reached the District I Championship game before losing to eventual state runner-up, Coatesville. Coach Brubaker currently serves as a past President for PSFCA and also has served on the football steering committee for District 1. During his tenure at Spring-Ford, his teams have set all-time offensive records in a season for points per game (41.7), total points (505), first downs (230), first downs per game (17.8), average yards per carry (7.4), completions (167), passing yards (2,924), total yards (4,951) and scoring differential (30.4). Two Spring-Ford players have been named to the Big 33 team, while another twelve have been named to the PSFCA East-West All-Star game. Coach Brubaker was chosen to be the head coach for the East in the 2018 East-West game by PSFCA.
Coach Brubaker began his coaching career as a junior high football coach in the Solanco School District in Quarryville, PA. Upon landing a job teaching English at Elizabethtown High School in the fall of 1996, he coached special teams, wide receivers, quarterbacks, and coordinated the offense over his three years under head coach, Joe Mack.
His next twelve years of coaching came at Wilson High School in West Lawn, PA under Pennsylvania Hall of Fame Coach, Jim Cantafio, for eight years as the wide receivers coach and special teams coordinator, and Doug Dahms for the next four, as the wide receivers coach and offensive coordinator. At Wilson, Coach Brubaker had the opportunity to coach five Division I wide receivers, including three who were named to the Big 33 game, one who was named to the All-State team, and one who was named to the PSFCA East-West All-Star game. Joining Wilson’s prestigious Century Club by coaching in over 100 wins at Wilson, Coach Brubaker was part of a staff that recorded 114 during those twelve years, winning over eighty percent of their games and averaging over nine wins per season. During that time, Wilson won seven Lancaster-Lebanon League titles and two PIAA District III championships. Wilson won eighty-five percent of their games with Coach Brubaker coordinating the offense. In that time, Wilson’s offense set all-time school marks for rushing yards in a season, passing yards in a season, total yards in a season, total points in a season, average points per game, passing yards per game, scoring differential, and wins, including a 14-1 season in 2008 that ended in a heartbreaking, triple-overtime loss to Bethel Park in the state AAAA semi-finals.
In addition to the three head football coaches that he worked under (Joe Mack, Jim Cantafio, and Doug Dahms), all who won a PIAA District Championship at some point in their coaching careers, Coach Brubaker also has been around and learned from other successful coaches that he considers mentors. At Elizabethtown, Brubaker learned from retired York High coach, Jeff Ruby, and legendary Punxsutawney, JP McCaskey, and Elizabethtown coach, and PSFCA Hall of Fame coach, Jack Cassabaum. At Wilson, he also had the opportunity to learn from legendary Wilson and PSFCA Hall of Fame coaches, John Gurski, and Dr. Gerry Slemmer.
Coach Brubaker graduated from Cocalico High School in 1990, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He attended Millersville University, graduating in 1994 with a degree in English education. While at Wilson, he and a colleague created and developed the American Studies program before he became the high school librarian and co-chair for five years. Brubaker earned his master’s degree in liberal arts from Temple University and another master’s in library science from Kutztown University. At Spring-Ford HS, he works in the 10-12 Media Center as a media specialist.
Coach Brubaker and his wife, Jillian, have five children; Gannon, who is a student assistant football coach at Temple, Helena, who is 18, Erin, who is 16, Harrison, who is 13, and Harper, who is 10.