Longevity equates to loyalty for local coaches

Marques Hunter

of the Gateway

After I heard about Gig Harbor High School boys basketball coach Lyle McIntosh’s retirement announcement, I began to think about why coaches decide to do it for so long. In high school sports, many coaches don’t stay with programs any longer than five years, much less three complete decades, like McIntosh.

McIntosh announced his retirement during the team’s banquet in late February. He had been at the helm of the Tides’ program for 25 years, and he’s been associated with it since the school opened 30 years ago.

That’s longer than I’ve been around, which — for me — puts his tenure at Gig Harbor High into perspective.

McIntosh’s experiences have been filled with many ups and downs, from the 1996 team that won a state championship, to teams like this year’s that didn’t qualify for the league tournament.

But McIntosh has always been there. He earned his 400th career win in January when the Tides beat the Mount Tahoma Thunderbirds.

McIntosh also had the opportunity to coach his son, Geoff, throughout his high-school career, which ended when he graduated in 2008. That had to be an incredible feeling.

Beyond that, the coach has had a strong impact on many of his players — on and off the court.

Sam Scholl, who was on the Tides’ state-championship team, is now a coach at the University of California-Santa Clara. Now 31, he speaks highly of McIntosh and said he’s a reason he’s now a coach.

“He had a tremendous impact on me because he had me coach the incoming freshmen during the fall league, and it was my first coaching job,” Scholl said. “It was such a great experience. I fell in love with it at that point.

“He was always enthused about coming into the gym,” Scholl said. “He was passionate on a daily basis, and even the summer. He was one of those guys who loves to coach.”

There’s the key word.

Love.

When you love something, you never want to stop doing it. McIntosh will never stop loving the game of basketball, but he knew his time at Gig Harbor was up.

I asked some of the coaches in the Gig Harbor area why they love coaching, and here’s what they had to say:

Marco Malich — Peninsula baseball coach for 30 years who currently has 397 wins in his high school coaching career.

“First thing is that it’s fun. I like working with young people and trying to make a mark on their lives rather than just ball. You still get the adrenaline flow with wins and losses. When we got to a state championship (game) in 2006. That was really a high.”

Craig Brown — Peninsula swimming coach for 30 years.

“You enjoy seeing men or women learn to hone their skills. If you were a positive part of their life for a short period of time, that’s what coaching is all about.

“One of the biggest influences in my life was my high school coach. He molded me to be the type of person I am today. I saw what it did for me, and I wanted to see if I could do the same thing.”

Joel Wingard — Peninsula track and field coach and a former Gig Harbor track and cross country coach for more than 30 years.

“When the kids buy into the program and work hard, they begin to see progress and improvement. That’s fun to watch. I like seeing the kids get better.

“The toughest job is to get the kids to believe. I stress they have to believe in the coach, the program, but most importantly themselves.”

I applaud any coach who has the dedication and perseverance to coach for at least 20 years. To hit the 30-year mark is absolutely amazing.

Having an influence that spans multiple four-year high-school careers is something each and every coach should be proud of.