Happy Father's Day!

One of the things I remember most growing up is my Dad as "Coach." A lot of his students (who were oh, so grown up to me!) called him that like it was his first name. Thanks to my Grandma Ritchie's scrapbook I have a few newspaper clippings showing Dad in him coaching days. This picture appeared on Friday, April 3, 1964.


There is a story told about me going to track practice with my Dad. It would have been around this time as I was about 5. At some point Dad turned around to find me and saw I was earnestly talking to one of his sprinters - telling him how to correctly stand in the blocks! In my defense, I was apparently giving him the right instructions. I listened to *everything* my Dad said, and apparently all the runners hadn't!!

Dad coached just about every sport there was. Here are a few more pictures of him as a football coach and a basketball coach.




















What I really like about seeing the Jr Hi basketball picture is how YOUNG they look - of course they WERE young. However, when I think of being a little girl, I just remember all the "big boys" that Dad coached.

The thing I love the most about my Dad as coach is how he could so love sports and have three daughters who were not all that interested in participating and yet never ever make any of us feel as if his family makeup was anything other than exactly what he wanted. I can remember more than once having people - adults who should have known better - say to him when I standing right there things like, "Oh you don't have any boys, that's too bad" or "Just girls, I'll bet you want to try again." My Dad would just laugh and tell them his girls kept him calm and happy - why would he want boys? I never once felt that I should be anything other than exactly what I was.

Thanks Dad ~ I love you!