FORT WASHINGTON, PA – After 22 years as the Athletic Director of Germantown Academy, Jim Fenerty 1760 has announced that he will retire from that position, effective June 30, 2017. Fenerty will remain as varsity boys’ basketball coach and Upper School advisor and history teacher at the school. He will also serve as a liaison to the GA College Counseling Office, where he will help guide student-athletes and their families through the college recruiting process.
“It has been a true honor to serve GA as its Director of Athletics for the past 22 years,” said Fenerty. “I have been blessed to work with and for some of the finest people that I have ever met in my life. I will be eternally grateful to Jim Connor, Rich Schellhas, and the Board of Trustees for giving me the opportunity to share my passion for athletics with our exemplary student-athletes and coaches. While no day was ever boring, I am grateful that each day was full of possibilities to make a positive impact on the GA community.
“Of course, this is not goodbye,” Fenerty stated. “I am looking forward to continuing the challenge of leading the boys’ basketball program and being the best teacher I can in the classroom. I am also excited about the opportunity to help all of our student-athletes navigate the complicated adventure of college recruiting.”
Fenerty has overseen the Patriots’ athletics program since 1994. He has led the supervision of 26 varsity sports which includes upwards of 88 teams and more than 800 student-athletes participating and competing at multiple levels in Middle and Upper School, three club sports, an athletic training staff, and a strength and conditioning coach. During his time, Fenerty championed the creation of Germantown Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame to honor GA’s illustrious athletics history, and was instrumental in the expansion of GA-PC Day to include girls’ sports, and eventually, every fall sports team.
Jim Fenerty will continue as basketball coach and history teacher - photo courtesy of GA
“Jim Fenerty is one of the biggest cheerleaders GA has ever had,” Head of School Rich Schellhas stated. “His commitment to our students – all students – will be one of the legacies he will leave as athletic director. His leadership of our coaches, his strong ties with our parents, and his connection to the local media are all qualities that stand out in my mind when I think of Jim. He has always been proud to say he helped create a culture whereby excellent athletic programs have been able to flourish in a school known for its excellent academic programs, and I couldn’t agree more. I look forward to him continuing as a mentor to our young coaching staffs, and thank him for using his experience to help our student-athletes find their way to college.”
During his tenure as athletic director, Germantown Academy has built several campus facilities, including a brand new outdoor athletics facility that opened in fall 2011. Currently under construction is an addition to the Field House, which will include two regulation size basketball courts, one of which will be named in his honor, and a new turf field.
Fenerty, who holds a record of 528-209 leading the Patriots’ boys’ basketball team, is a member of the Germantown Academy Honorary Alumni Class of 1760, an inaugural member of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – Montgomery County, the GA Athletics Hall of Fame, and the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame. A stalwart supporter of Coaches vs. Cancer, Fenerty is also being honored by that organization next April. He has coached his teams to 16 Inter-Ac Athletic League boys’ basketball championships, including winning titles during the last four straight seasons.
Germantown Academy, which is a member of the oldest schoolboy athletic league in the nation – the Inter-Academic Athletic League, will commence a national search for a new Athletic Director immediately.