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I
Shelton's Jack Stark coached
for more than 30 years, 25 as
SHS head football coach
By EMILY HANSON
In more than 30 years
of coaching, Jack Stark led
his teams to 151 victories,
98 losses and four ties, two
state championships, seven
league championships and
six state playoffs.
Throughout the years,
Stark has received mulit-
ple coaching awards.
In the past, Stark has
been named the Black Hills
time I graduated, I was 5'8"
and weighed 127 pounds."
!As a WWU alumnus,
Stark said he has given
his support to the alumni
who are trying to bring the
football program back to
wwv.
Stark began his coach-
ing career at Friday Harbor
High School where he was
th~ head basketball coach
from 1960 to 1962.
!From there, he moved
League Football Coach of to Nooksack Valley, where
the Year six times, received
the Daily Olympian All
Sports Coach of the Year in
1975, the Daily Olympian
Southwest Washington
4A League Football Coach
of the Year in 1980, the
Washington State Football
Coach of the Year in 1974
and 1985, the East/West
All State Football Game
Assistant Football Coach
in 1983 and the EastlWest
Football Game Head Coach
in 1992.
In 2002, Stark received
a Lifetime Membership
from the American Football
Coaches Association, which
he has been a member of
since 1967.
Stark was elected into
he spent four years as the
assistant basketball coach,
twb years as the assistant
football coach and two years
as ~the head football coach -
as head coach, Stark broke
an111 year losing streak and
brought the team up to as
high as number two in the
state poll.
IStark's last stop before
Sl~elton was Simon Fraser
University where he was
anb assistant football coach
from 1967 to 1969.
[From 1970 to 1994, Stark
he~ded up the Highclimber
football program.
!"I've been asked a num-
be~ of times 'who was your
be~t football player?' and
it'g impossible to choose,"
the Washington State High Stark said. "We've had at
School Football Coaches least 70 go on to play at the
Hall of Fame in 1994 and college level and four go on
the Mason County Sports to]the NFL. Plus, we had
Hall of Fame in 1996, and m~ltiple guys who were
in 1998 he received a Life- gr~,at high school football
time Membership with the players go on to college
Washington High School without playing."
Coaches Association. [Stark described Shelton
On September 22, he as|a great place to coach
received another accolade, be+ause of the work ethic of
Hhe was awarded with th~players.
the Lifetime Achievementi"One of the assistant
Award from the Thurston coaches we had was assis-
County YMCA at its annual tant coach at O'Dea and at
Husky/Cougar Tailgate Par- Timberline and he said one
ty anti Auction ....... thihg that stuck with me,"
In September, Stark was Stfirk said. "He said 'the
honored :.2 along with Ron difference between the kids
Brown, longtime basketball : yo~ have here and the kids
coach at Centralia High yo$ have elsewhere is these
School - by Dick Nichols,
sports announcer for KGY
radio in Olympia.
"Stark and Brown were
selected by the selection
committee for the outstand-
ing work they have done for
their community and the
impact they've made in the
lives of childreni' Susan
Callender, financial direc-
tor of the Thurston County
YMCA, said.
"I was surprised to hear
I'd won because this was the
first time they've gone out-
side of Thurston County for
coaches," Stark said. "It's
quite an honor to be recog-
nized. I was just fortunate
enough to be here [in Shel-
ton] when a lot of fine ath-
kids like to practice."
iIt was a combination
of Ithings that lead to the
I • • •
athletes en3oymg prachce,
St~rk said.
'Number one, they re-
all ~ enjoyed the game," he
st~ Led. "The parental sup-
po: t was really good and
th~ assistant coaches we
ha were top notch. Out of
thi! 25 years I coached here,
we had a five-man staff and
thq y really did a great job. I
was just really fortunate for
th~ tt."
!Stark still refers to his
coaching years in the third
person, saying "we" instead
of ~"I"
because he states it
w~s the coaching staff that
led the team.
Jack Stark, former head
Lifetime Achievement A
"The first
l iust coumdm
number of
were packed
coach of the Shelton High School football team, was awarded
ard by the Thurston County YMCA this fall.
Courtesy of lerry
with the
letes were here."
Stark grew up in Bell-
ingham and received his
teaching degree from West-
ern Washington University,
where he also played foot-
ball for three years.
Though Stark was a col-
lege football player, he did
not play in high school.
"I played in junior high,"
Stark said. "In high school,
as a sophomore, I was 4'11"
and weighed 96 pounds. I
was very small, but by the
I%Ve always talked about and I just couldn't believe
the program as a 'we' pro- the fan participation and
I ,, g,
gram, he explained. We the number of people at-
were all coaches, one of tending the games," he
us I just happened to be the said. "The stands were
he~d coach." packed and we were get-
iStark said that the enjoy- ting thumped in a couple of
m~at of seeing ball players those games."
grow and the enjoyment of Stark said the Climbers
be: ng in a community that turned things around the
we S so supportive is what very next season and in his
ke ~t him with the Climbers fourth year with Shelton,
so ong. the team won the 3A State
he
'The first year I was Championship. The Climb-
e, the team went 0-8-1 ers, under Stark and staff,
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[ was here, the team went 0o8ol and
Yt believe the fan participation and the
eop[e attending the games° The stands
we were getting thumped in a coupt,
of those games,"
went on to win the 3A State Football Camp from 1972the last two or,three ye
Championship again in to 1996. of my coaching, Stark s~
1985. Stark also co-founded"He had been at the jun
Since retiring in 1994, the Mason County Recre-high for a number of ye
Stark has been selling real ation Association in 1970 before that. I think Matt:
estate as well as doingcolor and is a past president of terrific person. I just dc
commentary with KMAS at the Washington State High know what the challen~
home Climber games and School Football Coachesof this team are."
some away games. Association. Stark added that, thor
He has also been the Finally, Stark was in 1991 is the last time
guest speaker at football still head of the Highclimb- Highclimbers competed
clinics in Washington, Or- ers when current head the playoffs, Hinkle has 1
egon and British Columbia coach Matt Hinkle joined some successfulseas~
and was the director and the staff, with the team.
co-founder of the All Star "Matt came on staff in
- Thursday, November 10, 2011
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ht Training • Swimming • Aerobics Classes
cquetball. Tanning. Cardio • Massage
South of Downtown Shelton on Highway 3
Stop in today at 707 South First Street
:all 426-1388 or email us; sac@hctc.com
k us out on the web at sheltonathleticclub.com
rrs: Mon-Fri 4:30am-9pm o Sat & Sun 7am-3pm
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