Gritty. A word used by almost everyone I talked to about Jerry Haslett.

This school year, the Allderdice community is mourning the loss of Head Football Coach Jerry Haslett. He passed away on July 24th, 2024, at age 59, while on the way to coach a 7 on 7 football game.

He is survived by his wife Sherry, his daughter Jamie, and his son Micheal.

Haslett attended Northgate High School before continuing his football career at Clarion University. At Clarion, he was a four-year starter playing defensive back and strong safety. He finished his career with 326 tackles, 11 interceptions, 30 pass breakups and was inducted into the Clarion Sports Hall-of-Fame in 2006.

Haslett came from a family where football was all-important. Jerry’s brother Jim played 8 years in the NFL before becoming a defensive coordinator and head coach in the NFL.

Jerry Haslett began at Allderdice in 2007 as a business teacher. He became the football head coach in 2009 after the team went winless in 2008. Haslett turned the program around and led the team to a winning season in his second year. Haslett’s most impressive accomplishment was in 2017 when he led the Dragons to their first city league championship victory in 50 years by beating Brashear 35-7. He followed this up with City Championship victories in 2018 and 2021. In Haslett’s tenure as the Allderdice Head Coach, he finished with a record of 48-64 (35-15 in-section) and 3 City Championships.

Haslett also served as the Allderdice Athletic Director and taught credit recovery courses. After practices, he went out of his way to drive players home.

“Great guy, great coach,” said former Allderdice quarterback Mike Pfleger. Pfleger played two years for Haslett’s predecessor and stated that Haslett changed the culture. ”[He was] a special type of motivator, the type of guy you would run through a wall for.”

Since Haslett’s passing, former offensive coordinator Mark Matson has been named the head coach. Matson played his college football career at Slippery Rock University and has been a Spanish teacher at Allderdice for the last 10 years. The new athletic director is Rich O'Brien, the boys' volleyball coach and assistant basketball coach.

This football season was a good sign for years to come, with the Dragons finishing 5-5 (3-2 in-conference), showing that they can continue to compete with City League and WPIAL Schools even with such an integral part of their team missing. Every player wore a sticker on their helmet that read “LLH” (Long Live Haslett) to show appreciation for everything that Haslett has given to the school, the football team, and his players over the last decade. Haslett will always have a special place in the Allderdice community.