Adam Beach can't stay away from the Upper Moreland football coaching position.

Now in his third stint in charge of the Golden Bears, Beach had good reasons for leaving twice — namely, the commute from Collegeville to Willow Grove the first time and, more recently, to watch son John play football at Pope John Paul II — but he had an even better reason to return each time.

"I want to end my coaching career at Upper Moreland," said the 48-year-old Beach. "It's a chance to get in one last go-round. Things happen for a reason. I'm meant to be at Upper Moreland."

A history teacher at the high school, Beach missed the player/coach bond and all that comes along with it, especially seeing his players during the school day and then on the practice field in the afternoon. He was so grateful to be back that he thanked his 2022 players at the end of summer camp for allowing him to coach them.

Beach has done quite well on Friday nights, too, compiling an 83-46 record at UM with three double-digit win seasons, three trips to the District One championship game (2006, 2008 and 2015 in Class AAA) and two Suburban One League American Conference titles.

In the six years Beach wasn't head coach dating back to 2004, Upper Moreland accumulated a 33-44 mark, though the Golden Bears won the district 4A championship under CJ Szydlik during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

Beach and 2-1 Upper Moreland face 3-0 Executive Education on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Muhlenberg College prior to starting SOL American play.

"He's evolved into a really good offensive coach," said Bill Travers, a self-proclaimed "senior citizen adviser" on Beach's staff. "He sees the game ahead of the game. He's very, very good. It's great that he got back in it. He's too good not to be a head coach. And I think it's great for Upper Moreland. ... My thinking is they've been so lucky to have him."

A North Penn graduate, Beach joined Joe Shannon's staff at Upper Moreland in 1998 after graduating from Lycoming, then took over as Golden Bears head coach in 2005. He coached there from 2005-10 and again from 2013-17, then returned this year. The former head coach at Bishop Egan (1976-84) and North Penn (1985-93), Travers coached Shannon at Egan in the late 1970s, then Shannon ended up being a Travers assistant and eventually succeeded him at North Penn, where he was Beach's linebackers coach. It really is a small world, after all.

Travers and Shannon recalled Beach's willingness to move from his customary linebacker spot to defensive end with only a few days of practice to fill a need for North Penn in Week 2 of the 1991 season, then how well he performed at a new position in a 41-7 win over Souderton.

"He played a great game," said Shannon, who is godfather to one of Beach and wife Michele's children and still breaks down some film for Beach. "He has a great mind. He's grown a lot and been able to evolve as the game has evolved. He does so much with the quarterback not under center. I think that's been a major plus over the last 10 years."

In separate interviews, Travers and Shannon used the word "coachable" to describe Beach as a player. Beach describes his Upper Moreland players the same way.

While Beach isn't afraid to employ a spread offense with four or five receivers, his default setting seems to be old-school football by lining up in the power-I formation. And Beach, who also played offensive line in high school, continues to handle the line despite all of his head-coaching duties.

Rebuilding a program: Hatboro-Horsham trying to follow the path of Adam Beach at Upper Moreland

Making it work:Central Bucks South's Bart and Brett Szarko balancing coach/player, father/son roles well

For subscribers: Five big football games to watch in Week 4

"I have and will always coach the offensive line," Beach said. "I'm a firm believer the game is won up front on both sides of the ball. If the offensive line is doing its job, we're very dangerous."

Beach began building his program in 2005 despite a 1-5 start. The Golden Bears closed out the season by winning five in a row, culminating with a 40-34 overtime victory over Hatboro-Horsham on Thanksgiving finish 6-5. Upper Moreland went 10-2 in Beach's second year, securing an SOL American championship and reaching the district AAA title game, where it was edged by Garnet Valley, 17-14.

"It was a big confidence boost for me," Beach said. "It was always 'What have we got and how can we get the most out of these guys?' The more you do it, the more things you can pull on. 'This worked this way. This worked that way.' It was a been there, done that kind of a thing. Experience just helps."

Now in his 12th year as head coach at Upper Moreland, which doesn't count a 7-4 record in the 2011 season at Lower Merion, Beach believes the most important part of coaching involves more than wins and losses. Travers and Shannon took a similar approach with him.

"It's very simple — helping men go through their high school years, mentoring them on a path to be successful when they leave Upper Moreland High School," Beach said. "I love seeing former players and how great they're doing. My wife said on the (Ocean City) boardwalk there's always five or six people that come up to me (each year that I had coached). That is what matters most. Those life lessons are really what it's all about. That's why I coach."

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Adam Beach right where he belongs — coaching football at Upper Moreland