{"id":16888,"date":"2026-02-07T08:59:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T13:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flyers-cup-history.org\/?page_id=16888"},"modified":"2026-02-08T15:07:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T20:07:19","slug":"ron-lindberg-haverford-high-school-fords","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/flyers-cup-history.org\/?page_id=16888","title":{"rendered":"Ron Lindberg, Haverford High School Fords"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Ron Lindberg gets around the Radnor goalie on the left, and in action as a quarterback for the Fords football team<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There is a lot to be said for many high school players throughout history and over the years, but one specifically comes to mind when you think about the early years at Haverford High School, more specifically, Ron Lindberg.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ron Lindberg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For the first three years of Fords hockey existence, Ron Lindberg stood front and center as their leader as team captain from 1969 through 1972. Born in Minnesota, he played hockey from a young age, and when his family moved to Philadelphia, he found himself in the right place at the right time when ice hockey was becoming popular with the rise of the Philadelphia Flyers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron was the first line center, often times he won the opening faceoff, skated down the ice and scored, giving the team a lead just seconds into the game. He possessed speed, strength, and a great competitor’s ability to bend the game at his will. He led the team in scoring and was in the top ten scorers in the league each year and voted to the All-Star team. While no statistics exist for the 1969-1970 season. Lindberg scored 14G 14A 28PTS in 1971, and 14G 9A 23PTS in 1972. Lindberg was eighth overall in 1971, and ninth overall in 1972 in league scoring results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lindberg at Class of 23′<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


In addition to hockey, Ron was the starting quarterback and team captain of the football team for his senior year, which finished second in the Central League, and shut out Upper Darby 23-0. Ron was voted Honorable Mention on the All-Delco team. He also played on the varsity baseball team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In college at Franklin and Marshall, Ron played football, hockey and baseball as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He married his HHS sweetheart, Kathy Griffith, and they had 2 children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron died tragically of cancer at age 32 in 1986. His teammates played a benefit game against the Philadelphia Flyers alumni at the Skatium to raise funds for scholarships for his two children. In his memory, the Ron Lindberg Award was established and is annually given out to the HHS ice hockey player who best exemplifies the skills, sportsmanship and courage of the team’s first captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1986 Alumni Benefit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ron Lindberg left an indelible mark in each sport he played especially with his teammates, in which he was looked up to by many and is remembered for not only his accomplishments but mainly his character, and passion for the sports he played, he was a natural leader, and great human being.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on memories from times past…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I knew Ron from the very first Haverford high school hockey club team. Bruce Macgregor got me to come out and play on the club team. I got to know Ron at that time. He and I spent a lot of time together. We hung out a lot. In the summertime, I ran routes for him, hundreds and hundreds of routes to catch the ball so he could practice throwing for his football career at Haverford high school.  My forearms were black and blue from the intensity with which he threw the ball and I am not exaggerating. In addition, I played on his hockey line quite a bit he did all the scoring I did a lot of passing. It was great to skate with him. He was very strong on his skates and could hit like hell. When he hit somebody on the ice they stayed hit. He was a highly intense individual and competitor, including a competitor, even in practice not just in the games. I am not 100% sure but I believe in several seasons he was our league highest scorer or if he was not the highest he was probably in the top two or three every year he played hockey. Sometimes before hockey games, we go over to his house and get a few cigars and then we would sit and smoke the cigars and he would say now let\u2019s have a vision of how we\u2019re gonna win this hockey game while we smoked the cigars and talked about just how we were gonna win the game and who we were gonna hit on the other team and who we didn\u2019t like and  and just how we were gonna approach it. Ron was a competitor and he inspired me to be better! I have moved away from Havertown before he passed away and when I found out that he had passed away that so suddenly my heart was sad for quite a while. Unfortunately, I didn\u2019t find out about his passing for several months after it happened, so I missed coming back there and seeing people and seeing him off into the afterlife. I gotta say it was among some of the best days of my life on that hockey team. I have many memories. Ron definitely belongs in the Haverford high school hockey league Hall of Fame without a doubt. ~ Charles Seifert<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was one of the original players on the first team back in 69\u201370, and like several of the other guys who have chimed in, have some great memories of playing with and knowing Ron.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were good friends, both in the class of 72. He, his girlfriend and future wife Kathi and I, along with, I think Scott Ehrenberg and Charlie Seifert, all ate lunch together during our senior year, and Kathi, who was a member of the band color guard as a baton twirler, , used to joke that she and Ron fit the stereotype of the high school quarterback dating the high school cheerleader. Ron wasn’t so intense when he was with Kathi; he could turn off his on ice and on field competitive demeanor when he was with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other guys have submitted very good descriptions of Ron’s skill, leadership and competitiveness. I’ll add here what I submitted a few years ago when he was being considered for the Haverford HS Hall of Fame. My words complement what the other guys have written, but I think they also reinforce what an exceptional athlete, competitor, leader and friend he was to all of us. ~ Brian O’Connell<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was a year ahead of Ron. We did play on the same football, Ice hockey and baseball teams and if truth be told, I had a better friendship with his older brother, Eric who was also in my class and one great football player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking back, Ron had a slight chip on his shoulder and being a year older at that time in our lives might have had something to do with being closer to Eric but it certainly didn\u2019t diminish the respect I had for Ron as a hockey player. I may be the first to be inducted into the HSHOF with ice hockey being one of my sports but I couldn\u2019t hold a candle to Ron\u2019s talent, his tenacious desire to win and his subliminal message challenging each and everyone of us on that team to become better at our game. Damn, I wish i could have skated with that ease at that age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t really speak of him being great in football or baseball as I don\u2019t recall him being a starter while I was in my senior year but like myself, a late bloomer\u2026. he achieved honors and notoriety in his senior year and blossomed into one terrific all-around athlete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later after Ron passed I\u2019m in New York City playing softball in the Broadway Show League and a guy warming up on another field was wearing a Franklin and Marshall Sweatshirt and so I took a stab; \u201chey, by chance would you know the name Ron Lindberg?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stopped in his tracks, walked over to me already in tears just hearing Ron\u2019s name and talked for twenty minutes of how Ron shaped his life and was the best coach he ever had and one of the greatest guys he ever knew. that moment in time still stays with me and speaks volumes as to Ron\u2019s growth as a person, a teammate, a coach\u2026 human being!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s make sure he\u2019s never forgotten! ~ Nick Giangiulio<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ron was a 3 year Captain of HHS Hockey and scored 25 goals his senior year. I remember that because Ed Galli announced it at our end of season “banquet” (The ICSHL did not keep stats at that time). He also was a co-captain on the HHS football team as a running\/passing QB who led HHS to a share of the 1972 Central League title with Marple-Newtown. He was a .300 hitter on the HHS baseball team and anyone who played with him or against looked at him with respect. He was a tough hombre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He married a HHS gal (Kathi Griffith) and went to F&M where he again played football, hockey and baseball. switching to wideout after they recruited a hotshot behind him but had several productive years; captained the hockey team and played CF on the baseball team before coming back to Delco and helping as an assistant coach for Coach Ed Galli. Somewhere after that came his cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I saw Kathi in later years at hockey tournaments where my boys played against Ron’s son’s teams,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was proud to participate in the 1992 (?) HHS Alumni Hockey Game at the Skatium where we held the Flyers Alumni to a 7-1 loss where we raised some money for the Lindberg family. The highlight of the game, for me, was a Pogue to Pogue to King goal for our only score. I also remember Peter MacGregor checking Don Saleski into the boards which most everyone thought was not cool. Mostly Saleski.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was one of those guys. Once you met him. You never forgot him. RIP Ron. ~ Peter King<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I personally like the picture of Ron going 1-on-1 with the goalie that Doug shared. Intense! Being pretty inexperienced, Coach Galli matched me up as Ron\u2019s right wing. He did all of the skating while I crashed the net. I know his competitiveness and intensity rubbed off on me, as I\u2019ve been skating since 1970 – HHS, Villanova, Jr Volunteers, Jr Firebirds, Spartans and 35 years in the NHL (Nittany Hockey League)! In State Cawledge, as Kinger would say. ~ Jeff Pogue<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was on JV when Ron was a senior, I would go to the Varsity games and wrangle penalty box duty to be close to the game. The Seifert injury was mentioned- I was there and my dad who was a doc was also there and we went to the hospital with Charlie
What no one talks about was when Ron caught a stick in his eye. He wore hard contacts that shattered and there were many shards embedded in his eye
I again got to go to the ER and watch them pluck the pieces out. He laid on the stretcher not saying a word as they took care of him, his only worry was about missing a game, amazing! ~ Jay Hubsher<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Great memories with Ron. Thank you for sharing them with all of us. I would like to share one from a bad game with Conestoga in our first year at the Radnor Rink. This was our worst loss in the time the class of \u201c72\u201d played. The Conestoga team was loaded with club players from Blue Line and the team out of General Washington\u2019s rink. We did manage to tie them our senior year 4-4 showing how much we improved as a team in the three years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ron became a hitting machine in that game. He hit Pete Bullard so hard into the screening along the viewing windows the glass cracked completely but didn\u2019t shatter. I was very happy he clobbered him because Bullard had flattened me up against the boards behind our net messing up my lower back. Throughout the game Ron was decking their players with the puck. He helped us all reach for a higher level of play individually. He should be selected into the Hall of Fame for his skill in many sports and his leadership by example.\u00a0~ Bruce MacGregor<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is a lot to be said for many high school players throughout history and over the years, but one specifically comes to mind when […]<\/p>\n

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