Coach

High School: General Braddock, Class of 1939

College(s): Penn State

Deceased: April 1988

Background: John Silan was the boys basketball coach at Kutztown High School from 1946-1965 where he amassed an incredible record of 414-75. He won 12 Berks County titles, 8 District 3 titles and three state championships (1950, 51, 59). His 1959 team, which finished 29-0 was voted the best Berks County team of all time by the Reading Eagle newspaper in 2000. Coach Silan coached at Delaware Valley College for nine years with a record of 86-107. He returned to Berks County to coach Wilson High School for four years and won another Berks tile in 1977. He was asked to come out of retirement to again coach Kutztown for the 1986 and 1987 seasons where he went 14-10 and 19-6. His overall scholastic coaching record was 527-117 (.818). He developed 28 Berks County All Stars, 8 All State players and 1 high school ‘Parade All-American’ player, Dick Braucher. John was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Berks County Chapter in 1995. John Silan is arguably the best high school basketball coach in Berks County history with an unprecedented 3 state championships. He was a good friend of Coach Pete Carril during the 1960s and legend has it that the two of them routinely got together to discuss basketball strategies and plays. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1978.