The WNY High School football community has lost another legend as longtime Sweet Home coach John Faller passed away Saturday afternoon, sources tell WNY Athletics.
Faller led the Panthers to sixteen division titles, eight Section VI Championships, and two state titles (2008, 2009) in 31 years at the helm. Under his watch, Sweet Home had a 69-game winning streak that lasted until 2013 and amassed a 217-84-1 record, the fourth most career coaching victories in WNY history when he retired in 2016.
The Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame 2018 inductee is also considered one of the founding fathers of boys lacrosse in Section VI, starting the program at Sweet Home in 1976. He guided the Panthers’ lacrosse squad to six sectional titles and is second all-time in Section VI for lacrosse coaching wins with 373.
“It wasn’t just about the wins and losses,” said Williamsville East boys lacrosse head coach Ed Greenway, who took over for Faller as the Section VI chairman in 2014. “It was about how to make these kids be better as people, better fathers and how are they going to make a difference in the world. That service that he gave to his players and us in WNY, that’s what made him a great coach.”
As chairman, Faller piloted the WNY Exceptional Seniors Men’s Lacrosse Game, which is the longest-running High School All-Star game in New York State.
Faller was 70 years old.
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