Watching from the stands were wives Tammy (John), Bridie (Kevin), Theresa (Jerry), and Cathy (Joe). Joe Scanlan gave up a night of bartending to handle his first varsity assignment.
John Jr., called the group's "patriarch" by Rob, the youngest, started the refereeing chain in the mid-1970s. Shortly after graduating from now-defunct Sharon Hill High School in 1975, he started officiating basketball games. A decade later, he signed up for football.
In an effort to find out if a six-man crew of brothers was a state first, John Scanlan spoke by phone recently with Robert A. Lombardi, associate executive director of the PIAA.
"He said he thought it was," John Scanlan said. "Or, if it ever had been done in the past, it might have been five brothers. That's because the six-man crew has only been around for a few years."
Because of expanding passing attacks and spread formations on offense, a side judge, positioned downfield on the head linesman's side of the field, was added four years ago by some leagues in the state, including the Pioneer Athletic Conference. Pottsgrove and Spring-Ford are members of the Pioneer.
The head of the Scanlan clan, John Sr., was almost certainly watching Friday night's game proudly from a luxury suite high in the sky. The father of 10 died seven years ago, at 75, when four of his six boys were officiating PIAA games on the gridiron and hardwood.
"Yeah, he would have loved this," Bill Scanlan said. "He followed sports closely, was at all our games."
John and Dorothy Scanlan raised an always-active bunch in Sharon Hill, Delaware County. Dorothy Scanlan, 82, attended Pottsgrove's homecoming game with daughters Mary and Anne. The other two girls are Margie and Maureen.
