Jessica (Rose) Shellenberger has one of her favorite photos from a standout Warwick field hockey career in a frame at home.
The Warriors had just defeated Wissahickon in a state playoff game in the late 1990s on a goal in overtime that she assisted.
The All-American player was lying on the ground, exhausted and happy, when someone came over and picked her up.
It was legendary Warwick coach Bob Derr, who gave her a hug.
“It’s a picture I hold near and dear to my heart,” she said. “I remember that moment because it was just pure love. Absolutely pure love that I felt from him.”
On Friday night at Lancaster Bible College’s Good Shepard Chapel, Shellenberger and others returned that love to Derr, who passed away in November at age 75.
Among those who paid tribute was former Arizona State University wrestler Anthony Robles, who won the NCAA’s 125-pound championship in 2011 at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center despite being born with only one leg.
Derr, in addition to his Hall of Fame field hockey coaching career that included 630 career wins, was also a wrestling referee for more than 50 years, becoming an icon in that sport, as well. One of the matches he officiated was Robles’ 7-1 title-clinching win over Iowa’s Matt McDonough.
“It was inspiring to hear all about (Derr’s) accomplishments and his characteristics as a coach, a teacher, and this all-around man who was passionate about helping others and giving back,” Robles said. “It was a privilege for me personally to learn more about him because my time with Coach Derr was limited. I only knew him for about seven minutes on that wrestling mat.”
As Friday’s keynote speaker, Robles concurrently honored Derr and shared his own inspiring story.
Robles, the subject of a movie and autobiography, both titled “Unstoppable,” told the story about how he convinced his mom, Judy, to let him wrestle as a youngster, even after coming home from his first practice with a swollen eye and bloody lip.
The 37-year-old recalled how kids and adults stared at him as he walked by at the grocery store.
“Luckily, I was blessed with an amazing mother,” Robles said. “She’d always tell me the same thing growing up, saying, ‘God made you that way for a reason. You’ve just got to be patient and see what the reason is.’ ”
Before he won the NCAA title, he finished last in the Mesa City Tournament as a 14-year-old. But he traversed the ups and downs. His mom and ASU coach Bobby Williams helped him set high expectations and not make excuses.
Then finally he reached the NCAA finals in front of 20,000 fans in Philadelphia. As they called out McDonough, Robles said he looked everywhere except in Derr’s eyes.
“I didn’t want him to see that look of fear in my face,” he recalled.
Of course, Robles ended up winning and the first person he saw smiling at him was Derr.
“I’ll never forget the final 10 seconds, hearing the crowd getting louder, and I finally heard his whistle blow after seven minutes,” Robles remarked. “He just very quickly said, ‘Good job,’ and patted me on the back.”
Jess (Rose) Shellenberger, a former field hockey player for Bob Derr and the current coach at Manheim Township, shares her memories of Bob Derr at “A Night With Anthony Robles: Honoring the Legacy of Robert “Bob” Derr” at the Lancaster Bible College Chapel, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster, on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.
Dennis Bicksler
Many of Derr’s field hockey players also got a pat on the back from Derr. On a night that included laughs, memories and stories, Shellenberger — now the coach at Manheim Township — shared the life lessons that Derr taught, like being on time, holding yourself accountable and exhibiting integrity.
“Playing for him was nothing short of a pleasure,” she said. “To say that I loved Bob Derr is an understatement. I viewed Coach as a second father.”
Dale Dietrich shares his experiences with the crowd at “A Night With Anthony Robles: Honoring the Legacy of Robert “Bob” Derr” at the Lancaster Bible College Chapel, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster, on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025.
DENNIS BICKSLER | FOR LNP/LANCASTERONLINE
Long-time junior high wrestling coach Dale Dietrich was an assistant under Derr for eight years and witnessed his motivational tactics and fun spirit, not to mention how he instilled his wrestlers with an expectation to win.
“I would’ve been very happy to be his assistant for 35 years,” Dietrich said. “But God took him in another direction.”
Going in the direction that Derr did, he impacted countless lives, for which state Sen. Scott Martin — a PIAA heavyweight wrestling champion at Lancaster Catholic — presented Bob’s wife, Kathy, with a certificate of condolences.
“Your husband’s story is now forever enshrined in the archives of Pennsylvania,” Martin said. “Thank you for sharing Bob with all of us.”
Proceeds from the event will go toward the Robert “Bob” Derr Memorial Scholarship Fund.
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