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QUEENS WEEKLY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2019
Holy Cross alum returns as football coach
BY JENNA BAGCAL
A Holy Cross High
School alum and former
football player is back
with the Knights to coach
a new generation of student
athletes.
This September, the
Flushing school welcomed
John J. McArdle
as the head junior varsity
football coach. Growing
up, McArdle said that he
“always loved the game”
and exceeded on the field,
where played left guard
on the offensive line
through college.
Prior to returning to
his alma mater, McArdle
was the coach and president
of the Whitepoint
Youth Football League.
During his tenure, he
“fell in love” with coaching
and teaching the
kids life lessons through
the sport, including discipline,
respect and accountability.
“Everyone wants to
win and not make mistakes.
But I think we’re
doing our job if we make
the kids ready for the
real world,” said McArdle.
“I believe in them, so
I need them to believe in
themselves. You’re gonna
make mistakes in the
classroom, at home and at
work but try not to make
the same mistake twice.”
According to McArdle,
he is a “hard coach” who
“demands perfection but
doesn’t expect it.”
In addition to repetition
and drilling exercises,
John J. McArdle (top left) decked in Holy Cross Knights green. Photo courtesy of John J. McArdle
he uses positive reinforcement
to garner the
desired results from his
players.
“I don’t get on them
when they do something
wrong, I appreciate them
when they’ve learned,”
he said. “The kids are at
an age where parents and
teaching tell them what
to do and what not to do.
I talk to them as an adult
and treat them as an
equal. It helps them open
up and feel more comfortable.”
Timothy Smith, the
head varsity football
coach at Holy Cross, has
known McArdle since he
was 14 years old when he
played football with his
son. Smith joined Holy
Cross as a junior varsity
coach from 1997 to 1999.
After working at other
institutions in the early
2000s, he became an assistant
coach in 2012 and
was named head varsity
coach in 2015.
“John is passionate
and has the right intentions,
not just about the
sport but about teaching
life lessons and molding
young men into good
citizens, good husbands
and good fathers,” Smith
said.
As the JV coach, Smith
said that it is McArdle’s
responsibility to get players
ready for “the next level”
on the varsity team.
“He’s done a good job
assembling kids together
for one common goal and
upholding the reputation
of the school,” Smith
said.
The team practices
four days a week and
plays games on Saturday
and the Knights were
scheduled to play at 10
a.m. on Sept. 28, against
St. Francis Preparatory
School.
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