By Steven M. Glassman

Director of Sports Information

December 18, 2025

JENKINTOWN, PA—Manor College Director of Athletics and Head Men's Soccer Coach John Dempster received his 25th Anniversary Certificate at the College's Holiday and Employee Service Awards Luncheon.

Dempster has been the Blue Jays' Director of Athletics since 2017 and the Men's Head Soccer Coach since the 2010 season.  He began at Manor in 2000 as the Men's and Women's Soccer Goalkeeping Coach and worked in Manor's Admissions Office.  Dempster was the Blue Jays Assistant Men's Soccer Coach from 2002 through 2009 before his promotion to Head Coach the next season.  He continued to work in the Admissions Office until he was promoted to Director of Athletics in early 2017.

As the Director of Athletics, was named Director of Athletics, Manor has added nine varsity programs (Baseball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Women's Flag Football, Men's and Women's Indoor Track and Field, and Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field, Men's Volleyball).  Women's Soccer was reinstated in 2017 after a three-season absence. 

Under Dempster's leadership, Manor was accepted into the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in July, 2020, competing in eight sports (Baseball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Soccer, and Women's Volleyball).  The remaining sports (Men's and Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field) will compete independently.  The Blue Jays also joined with the Bucks County Community College Centurions, Central Pennsylvania College Knights, and Williamson College of the Trades in forming the Eastern States Athletic Conference (ESAC) in the Fall, 2021. The Christendom College Crusaders (Virginia) was added in the Summer, 2023.

Since Dempster was named Director of Athletics in 2017, Manor has made 20 postseason appearances.  The Blue Jays have made seven Region Postseason Tournament/Meets; six Postseason Conference Championship Games/Matches, including three Championships; and 10 National Championship Tournaments/Meets.

Academically, eighty-nine different Manor Student-Athletes were named to the USCAA (3,50+), Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (EPAC), and ESAC (3.25+) All-Academic Teams since he was named Director of Athletics in January, 2017.  Since Manor's first season competing in the USCAA (2021-2022), fifty-seven student-athletes have been named to the College's Fall and Spring Semesters Dean's Lists (Students who carried a minimum of 12 academic credits for the semester while earning a 3.50 or higher grade-point average.

Two Blue Jay student-athletes received Manor's Mother Josephat Medal since 2018.  Four gave Commencement Address since 2021.

As Manor's Men's Soccer Head Coach, Dempster has coached 246 overall matches (including 11 in the postseason) at the USCAA Division I (83), and National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I (93) and III (70) levels.  He has coached 26 NJCAA Region XIX Division I and 56 Division III and 25 ESAC regular season matches.  Dempster has 123 career wins.  He has posted a 45-32-6 overall record (0.578 win-loss percentage), including an 18-11-4 ESAC regular season win-loss record (0.606 win-loss percentage).  He also has a 44-22-4 overall record (0.657 win-loss percentage) in NJCAA Division III (including 33-19-4 in Region XIX Division III and 23-1-0 in the EPAC).  Including his NJCAA Assistant Coaching experience (2008-2009), Dempster has coached 275 overall matches.

As the Blue Jays' Men's Soccer Head Coach, he has coached two ESAC Postseason Championships (2023 and 2025), and has led Manor to four straight conference championships (2022-2025) in the USCAA.  Dempster has also coached two teams that appeared in the USCAA Division I Small College National Championship Tournament (2022 and 2024).  In the NJCAA, he led four teams (2011-2013 Division III and 2018 Division I) to the Region XIX Postseason Tournament.  Dempster also coached two EPAC Division III regular season championships (2012-2013).  

Altogether, seventeen of his soccer players went on to the NCAA since he was promoted to Head Coach in 2010.  Fifteen of his players have been voted to the All-ESAC Team since 2022. Nine of his players were voted All-Region XIX Division I and three voted to the Division III squad (2010-2019).  Eight of his players were voted to the All-EPAC Division III team (2012-2013).  Dempster coached two ESAC Players of the Year.  He coached an EPAC Division I and EPAC Division III Player of the Year.  Eight of his players were named to the EPAC Fall Semester All-Academic Team (2017-2019).  Nine of his players have been voted All-Americans.  Three of his players were named USCAA Division I Player of the Week. Three of his Goalkeepers were named USCAA Division I Goalie of the Week.  Two of his players were named EPAC Athlete of the Week. 

Dempster was on the NJCAA Region XIX Soccer Committee, serving as an EPAC Division I Representative from 2016 to 2020.

He has served as the emcee for Manor's Annual Student-Athlete Awards since 2017.

He won the Manor College Coach of The Year at the 2023 and 2024 Athletics Awards Ceremonies.  He also received an award at the Manor College 2020 Employee Service Awards Ceremony for his 20 years of dedicated service.  Dempster was voted 2023 ESAC Coach of the Year.  Dempster was also voted 2012 and 2013 EPAC Division III Coach of The Year and shared the 2007 Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference (EPCC) Coach of The Year.

Manor Vice President and Dean of Student Affairs Allison Mootz said the following in her speech at the College's Holiday and Employee Service Awards Luncheon: "When we look at John's tenure, it's easy to list the growth of the Athletic Department. Under his watch, we've added nine varsity programs, expanded into club sports, and watched our trophy cases fill with both athletic and academic accolades.  But John's true legacy isn't written in a record book. To his players and colleagues, John is so much more than a coach or an administrator. He is a mentor. He is a spiritual guide. He is an advocate for those who feel they don't have a voice, and a support network for those who feel they might fall.  There is a lot of work John does that is "silent" to the rest of us—the late-night phone calls, the quiet encouragements, the moments spent helping a student navigate a life crisis. His work may be silent to the public, but I promise you, it is loud in the hearts of our students.  John doesn't just tell his athletes how to be good people; he shows them. He is the first person to volunteer his time, and he has instilled that same spirit of service into every athlete who wears our colors. He teaches them that being a Blue Jay isn't just about winning games—it's about showing up for your community.  John, the truth is simple: We would be lost without you. You are the heartbeat of Manor Athletics. You've seen us through the lean years and the championship years, and through it all, your integrity has never wavered.  Thank you for 25 years of shutouts, 25 years of mentorship, and 25 years of making Manor College a better place to call home."

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