Fred Dohrmann, record-setting coach and director of physical education at Widener, has died at 68
His softball teams won 20 or more games 16 times, and his 697-566 career record puts him on top of an impressive list of Widener head coaches.
Fred Dohrmann, 68, of Norwood, Delaware County, popular and record-setting softball and men’s soccer coach and director of physical education at Widener University, former high school teacher, author, athlete, and mentor, died Sunday, Dec. 29, of glioblastoma at his daughter’s home in Brookhaven.
Mr. Dohrmann joined the coaching staff at Widener as a men’s soccer assistant in 1980. Four months later, in January 1981, he replaced the head softball coach.
Forty-one years later, in 2022, he retired as the winningest Widener head coach in any one sport. His softball teams won 20 or more games 16 times, and his 697-566 career record puts him at the top of an impressive list of Widener head coaches.
His 2017 team went 28-13 and won its first Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth championship. The Pride won 30 games in 2008 and made it to the conference championship game for the first time in 2009.
Friendly, smart, and eager to learn and share, Mr. Dohrmann was popular with his players and colleagues, even opponents, and school officials call him “one of the most influential people in the history of Widener athletics” on their website. In 2024, Widener named its softball diamond Fred Dohrmann Field at Dougherty-Gillespie Park.
“Words can’t correctly describe the impact and influence Fred Dohrmann has had across our athletic department, the university, the Middle Atlantic Conference, and to so many students and families,” Jack Shafer, executive director of athletics and recreation at Widener, said when Mr. Dohrmann retired in 2022. “His effect as a person, as a leader and as an educator for areas much more than softball are well known on and off the Widener campus and among perhaps thousands of students he has taught and coached throughout his 42 years.”
In a 2020 interview with KYW radio, Mr. Dohrmann said: “I definitely find myself pausing, more often than not, to just say, ‘Wow, how fortunate am I to be in such an awesome place.’ … Eighteen to 22 years old is just a fun time in people’s lives, and I am just thrilled to be part of that.”
He was men’s soccer head coach from 1981 to 2003 and sits atop that head coach win list, too, with 164 victories. He became the school’s director of physical education in 1985, doubled the number of phys-ed courses offered, and taught outdoor education classes as an adjunct instructor. In 2022, he earned Widener’s William David Eckard Jr. Award for distinguished service.
“I just like coming to work every day,” he told KYW.
He was also an assistant wrestling coach for a few years, and the book he cowrote in 2022, Rookie: Surviving Your First Year of College Softball, earned rave reviews online. Before Widener, he was a long-term substitute teacher at Germantown Friends School and a jeweler in Philadelphia.
“Widener is extremely fortunate to have been influenced by his dedication as an educator and mentor for his tenure.”
“First game I ever saw played in women’s fast-pitch softball was the first game I actually coached,” he told KYW.
Colleagues called Mr. Dohrmann a “great coach and mentor” and a “vibrant man who exuded positivity” in online tributes. One friend said: “Fred was everything I aspire to be in life.”
Former Widener softball player Ally Horvath said in a tribute: “Fred is truly one of a kind.” Former player Kaylin Johnson said: “It was an honor to be coached by you. It was an honor to be your friend.”
Frederick William Dohrmann III was born May 2, 1956, in Philadelphia. He grew up in Andorra, became an Eagle Scout, and played goalie on the soccer team at William Penn Charter School.
He played soccer on scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a bachelor’s degree in health, physical education, and recreation in 1978. In 1986, he earned a master’s degree in physical education at West Chester University.
He met June Soboleski through her roommate in the neighborhood, and they married in 1983, and had daughter Andrea and son Michael. They lived in Norwood for more than 40 years.
Mr. Dohrmann liked to camp, canoe, fish, and ski at parks in the northern United States and southern Canada. He played on adult soccer teams, coached club teams in tournaments abroad, and ran marathons for years.
He was a birder, golfer, and history buff. His children particularly enjoyed his weekend milkshake runs to Nifty Fiftys.
He doted on his wife, children, daughter-in-law Eleanna, and grandson Theo. “He always wanted to be present for those around him,” his son said.
His wife said: “Positive vibes only was his thing. He was the best, just an awesome guy.”
In addition to his wife, children, daughter-in-law, and grandson, Mr. Dohrmann is survived by other relatives.
Services were held earlier.
Donations in his name may be made to the University of Pennsylvania Brain Tumor Lab Support Fund, Attn: Sheryl Garton, 3535 Market St., Suite 750, Philadelphia, Pa. 19104; and Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry, 703 Lincoln Ave., Prospect Park, Pa. 19076.