Nearly 30 years ago, Neil Buckley collapsed on the center of The Haverford School’s campus, the place where he had taught and coached for 48 years.  Mark Cortese, a young teacher and former wrestler for Neil, ran to his aid and watched him being loaded into an ambulance.  Neil was rushed to a local hospital and passed shortly after, leaving a huge void for Mark and so many others that loved him.  Mark wasn’t sure how or when, but he vowed to himself to honor Neil’s legacy some day, in some way. 

Neil Buckley is known most for his contributions to the sport of wrestling, and at 646 dual meet wins, was once the winningest coach in the United States.  Sports Illustrated and USA Today recognized his achievements, and Neil has been inducted into multiple wrestling Hall of Fames.  How did a man who never wrestled and had very little knowledge beyond basic moves achieve this feat?

It started with the relationship Neil had with his wrestlers.  Other teachers, non-wrestlers, parents, and outsiders would call him “Coach Buckley” or “Mr. Buckley”, but his wrestlers called him “Neil”.   Make no mistake, Neil commanded respect- not by yelling and screaming - but by earning it.  He was very well organized, always on time, prepared, and focused.  He was as refined as he was intelligent, and always dressed impeccably well for matches.   He exuded a humble confidence, and carried himself like a true gentleman.   He never barked at his wrestlers during matches, but spoke quietly to individuals to draw out their maximum effort in service of the team.  Neil exemplified a vision of manhood that was unique, and his wrestlers gave their all to win for him.   

But Neil’s influence on thousands of young men was more profound than the wins he amassed.  The Philadelphia Inquirer once dubbed him the “Master Motivator” for his innate ability to help his often average athletes face their fears and overcome their doubts.   He created a generation of men that not only achieved on the mat, but in the classroom, in college and in their professional careers.   This list of successful businessmen, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, servicemen, artists, and government officials who attribute their success in life to Neil is very long.

Five years ago, Mark remembered his vow, and fortuitously connected with another former wrestler of Neil’s, filmmaker Rich Hoffmann.  The two agreed to embark on a documentary that would dig into the magic and mystery of their beloved coach.  With the support of fellow wrestlers Chris Arcuri, Dan Glennon, and Paul Chan, they began gathering archival materials and conducting interviews.  They put together a short teaser clip and in the course of several years, raised enough money to interview over 50 former wrestlers, colleagues, and rivals.  Just before Covid-19 shut down the country in 2020, they connected with Neil’s niece in North Carolina.  Chris, Mark and Rich made a trip to recover his ashes as well as many photos and articles, including a letter from then President Ronald Reagan, congratulating him on his 500th win.  

Though the restrictions of Covid prevented more filming, the team had gathered enough material to hunker down in the editing room.  They also brought on Piruz Partow, yet another former wrestler, to compose an original score for the project.  Over the next couple of years, the project was refined and cut down, trading 10 pounds of fat for 5 pounds of muscle. Now it is almost ready for its first big match in the bright lights of the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and beyond. 

Please help us today by pledging a contribution to “The Gentleman Coach”.  We are in the final polishing stages of post-production, which includes graphics, color correction, music, sound mixing, and editing.  We have to collect 80% of our crowdfunding goal to keep our funds.  You can choose an incentive or make a pledge to a specific wishlist item.  You can choose any pledge and incentive amount that fits your budget.  No pledge is too small.  Every dollar makes a difference in making our film possible!

SPREAD THE WORD

The only way we will reach our crowdfunding goal is if we reach beyond our networks.  If Neil Buckley made an impact on your life as he did thousands of young men and families, please share our campaign via your social media, email, word-of-mouth, however you want!  We can't do this without you!

Here are some examples.  Feel free to copy and paste!

Help the filmmaking team @buckleymen honor wrestling legend Neil Buckley by supporting their heartfelt feature documentary THE GENTLEMAN COACH.  Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/gentlemancoach

I just watched the trailer for THE GENTLEMAN COACH about Neil Buckley and WOW, you've got to support this feature documentary!  Join them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/gentlemancoach

I'm so excited to see the sports bio documentary THE GENTLEMAN COACH, by Haverford School Alums @buckleymen, that will premiere on April 6th at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute! Support them on @seedandspark: bit.ly/gentlemancoach

Thank you so much for support of our project and efforts to honor Neil Buckley and share his enormous life lessons.