Hall of Fame
Phil Albert devoted 30 years of his life to Towson University’s football program, including 20 years as its head coach, guiding the Tigers along a path that took them up three different NCAA levels.
A native of Johnstown, Pa., Coach A was an All-State quarterback for East Conemaugh High School and an All-State selection at guard for the Iron Horses’ basketball team. He then attended Cisco (Tex.) Junior College, garnering All-State honors at quarterback. In 1965 he transferred to the University of Arizona where he started all 10 games at quarterback for coach Jim LaRue. In his senior year Phil moved to defense where he led the Wildcats with in interceptions as the starting safety. Upon graduating with a degree in physical education, he served as an assistant on LaRue’s staff for a year before accepting a position at Tuscon’s Salpointe High School, the largest Catholic high school in the Southwest. He taught at Salpointe until he answered a call from Carl Runk, an Arizona alum who had returned to Baltimore to kickstart Towson’s football program in 1968.
In 1972 Runk retired as football coach to focus on the Tigers’ lacrosse program. The reins were handed to the 28-year-old fourth year assistant, making Coach A one of the youngest head college football coaches in the country.
Over the span of two decades Albert built the program into an NCAA title contender at the Division III and Division II levels. In 1991 he retired with a record of 117-91-3, at the time making him the third winningest coach in Maryland college football history behind Morgan State’s Eddie P. Hurt and Maryland’s H.C. “Curley” Byrd. To this day Coach A maintains the distinction as the only coach in college football to coach the same school at all three levels of NCAA competition.
Under his leadership the Tigers made four post-season appearances, the first in 1976. With an 8-2 regular season record, Towson was invited to participate in the NCAA’s Division III playoffs. It was no surprise to Coach A, knowing that Towson’s 16-4 record over the previous two seasons, including the program’s only unbeaten season, 10-0 in 1974, had alerted the NCAA committee that the Tigers would be a viable selection in just their eighth year of college football.
Towson didn’t disappoint the NCAA committee. The Tigers outlasted first round opponent C.W. Post 14-10 and then held off St. Lawrence 38-36 in the semifinals to advance to the Division III national championship against St. John’s (Minn.) in an ABC nationally televised Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. The Johnnies built a 28-0 lead before Towson’s first-ever All-American, quarterback Dan Dullea, rallied the Tigers in the fourth quarter to a 28-28 tie in the waning moments. However, St. John’s walk-off 19-yard field goal spoiled the comeback and ended the storybook season.
In 1979 Towson moved to Division II. After bowing to local rival Morgan State in the season opener the Tigers reeled off nine straight wins (Towson’s longest Division II winning streak), including victories over Maine and James Madison, but got no consideration from an unsympathetic NCAA for post-season play. Towson would have to wait until 1983 to test the post-season again, doing so with a 10-1 regular season mark. Perennial toughie North Dakota State dashed Towson’s hopes of another try for a national title by defeating Towson 24-17. Towson returned to the Division II playoffs twice more, in 1984 and 1986, advancing past the first round once.
Towson’s eight-year run in Division II ended with a 60-26-1 record. The glory years included three post-season trips and three Lambert/Meadowlands trophies. Coach A was named Kodak’s District 3 Coach of the Year in each of those post-season years. A five-time Towson Coach of the Year, he was inducted into the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994. In 2006 he was inducted into the Cambria (Pa.) County Sports Hall of Fame.
The road got noticeably rougher for Coach A and his Tigers when the program moved to Division I-AA, hence the Football Championship Subdivision, in 1987. Towson’s best record over the next five seasons was a 5-5 mark in 1988. After a 1-10 season in 1991, Albert resigned.
During his watch at the helm Phil coached 28 All-Americans, several future NFL players and six GTE District II Academic All-Americans. One player, David Meggett, was the winner of the 1988 Walter Payton Award denoting the top player in Division I-AA. Both Meggett and punter Sean Landeta went on to enjoy lengthy All-Pro careers in the NFL.
A signature part of Coach A’s offensive game plan throughout his coaching experience at Towson was its passing attack, customarily referred to as “Air Albert.” With his quarterbacks Dan Dullea, Ron Meehan, Joe Anderson, Bret Rogers, Kurt Beathard, Theron Richards, Chris Goetz, Dan Crowley and Sean Schaeffer putting up impressive numbers during their playing careers the Tigers were exciting to watch.
Coach A didn’t wander too far from football after his resignation. From 1994-2001 he was the advance game day scout for the NFL’s San Diego Chargers followed by a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator at nearby Calvert Hall High School, helping the Cardinals to a 17-4 record. In 2003 he returned to the Tiger football program at the invitation of his successor, Gordy Combs, and served as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator until his final retirement from the game in 2008.
Coach A maintained a Christian based philosophy of life that was recognized by his players and inspirational to many. He developed a talent for public speaking. After football he ramped up his schedule to include addressing various high school, college and business groups on leadership. He also delivered messages at churches and presided at weddings and funerals throughout Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Coach A passed away in December, 2020 at the age of 76.
