Longtime Northern Bedford County coach Barry Crawford, who was diagnosed with ALS in July 2024, will support women’s basketball coach John Ewart on the sidelines of a recent playoff game.
Despite being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, the longtime Northern Bedford County High School coach continues to show his support for student-athletes in the district.
Barry Crawford, who now volunteers for the women’s basketball team, may have lost his sick voice, but he won’t stop him from offering advice, suggestions and praise. His words come through computer devices, but his influence and leadership have not diminished.
If everything goes according to the plan, Crawford will be on the sidelines tonight as the Lady Panthers will face Delco Christian in the second round of the PIAA Class 1A state playoffs.
There’s no place he wants.
Crawford, 63, was diagnosed with ALS in July 2024.
“It was certainly a gut punch,” John Ewart said. It reminded me of when I heard the diagnosis.
“We immediately came out to him when we heard that, and how well he is active in the community with his sport and his grandchildren,” he said, as a longtime friend of NBC women’s basketball coach Ewart and Crawford.
Crawford is a 1980 NBC graduate, in addition to boys and girls basketball. He was also a track and field equipment and worked events.
NBC Football coach Garry Black said: “He’s not just a fellow coach, but one of the great friends, mentors and leaders in the community. That’s not something you want to know.”
The NBC community responded to Crawford’s diagnosis and retired him and his wife, Tess, as coaching counselors.
The disease has progressed over the past year. Crawford is still able to walk, but he loses the ability to use his arms and hands. He can’t speak, but he can move his head. To communicate, he uses a device to look at the computer keyboard, find the letters, and the computer spells out the words he wants to say.
“The Northern Bedford community was amazing,” Crawford said through an email sent to the mirror courtesy of Tess. “They were always there for people in need, and I’m no exception.”
The perfect example Crawford recalls was when physical issues began to emerge last summer. His hands gave him a problem, so his dentist got him an electric toothbrush.
“If I don’t give my wife a lot of credit, I’ll be generous. She makes sure I get a place and is always there whenever I need something,” he said.
Coach a part of your life
Before the diagnosis, Crawford was Ewart’s assistant.
“I was hoping he would still be 100% involved,” Ewart said after the diagnosis. “I went to see him, but we didn’t talk about coaching.
Crawford was a paid assistant, so the coaching conversations were ultimately held and decisions had to be made. Crawford was also worried about losing his ability to communicate with the girls when he lost his ability to speak.
“I was volunteering from him and still asked for help… we needed him to get involved,” Ewart said. “It wouldn’t be good for him to sit around the house all winter.”
The logistics of communication with players will come later.
Ewart did not allow Crawford to remain idle. Instead, he went to pick him up and the two went to the game in the fall. Crawford was there for the open gym the morning before school. There, 25 children appeared for their workouts.
If Crawford needed help from the car to the gym, someone was there to help.
Today, when he sits on the bench during the game, EWART and assistant Allie Hileman are there to help.
Tess is also usually nearby. When asked if she was worried about the action in the game that takes place near the bench, where a player might jump in for a loose ball, she believes that people around her husband will protect him.
“John has a back,” she said.
“I think it’s very positive for Barry to live with this illness in order to continue doing what he’s passionate about. It’s a motive and a focus for him. I’m happy he’s been part of it,” Tess said. “John has been blessing this whole journey. He has been there and continues.”
Influence and respect
In return, Crawford was a blessing for the girls on this team, starting the year 3-8, but now 13-12 is in the second round of PIAA play.
When he is sitting on the bench, between Ewart and Hileman, Crawford offers help as well as other assistant coaches.
“It can be very difficult if you get noisy at the gym,” Crawford typed. “But I think it will help him understand me better because (John) is around me during practice. I also try to keep my proposal as simple as possible. Coach Hillman will help him broadcast the proposal.”
According to Ewart, the 2024-25 version of the Lady Panthers loves and respects coach Crawford.
“He’s been a huge influence on his basketball career,” said Ewart, who sat behind the bench at an NBC Boys Basketball game as a young man.
“He’s going to say some things and if they don’t fully understand him, I sometimes give them a message, but they love having him in the gym,” Ewart said.
ALS attacks the muscle system by gradually damaging motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It is a very difficult disease, leading to muscle weakness, atrophy and ultimately paralysis. Crawford takes a lot of energy to get into the game, and he admits he missed some of the long road trips of this past season.
However, he was lucky that last weekend he was at home when the Lady Panthers won Southern Fulton and went to UPJ when the team defeated Fannet Metal.
When asked how he continues, Crawford admits that there are days when energy levels aren’t there.
“I missed a lot of practice, but Coach Ewart was extremely supportive. I’ve always been driven to see my kids improve,” Crawford wrote. “The improvements to this team, these players, and the program are something I am extremely proud of and driving me.”
The driving force was said in a post he shared on social media as the team conveyed Crawford’s resilience during his winning streak.
“The past few weeks (the team) have given John and Barry a second D5 championship and they have won the state playoff game,” Black posted. “These girls have taken on the personality traits of Coach Crawford. They are tough, rough and they keep coming to you.”
It’s clear that Crawford is fond of his time with the Lady Panthers this season.
“The girls gave me a Christmas signed ball. I thought it was the best,” he typed. “The coaching staff and players have allowed me to be part of the season, and I’m grateful for that.”
Another game is waiting for the Lady Panthers this weekend as NBC draws out a victory over Delco. It’s another chance to practice with Coach Crawford and another chance to play in front of Coach Crawford.
“We enjoy every minute of being with him,” teacher Ewart said. “If anything, this has taught us that we don’t know what God has for each of us. Enjoy the people around you and work hard with everyone around us.”
Crawford will probably tell you himself. He will definitely type it out to make sure you understand.
