Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Texas educators Reece and Paula Zunker perish in July 4 floodwaters

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Tivy High School teacher and boys’ soccer coach Reece Zunker, his wife Paula, a former teacher, and their two children perished in the floodwaters that decimated a campground in Kerrville, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4. Photo credit: Mail Online

We are greatly saddened to report that two educators perished in the floodwaters that decimated a campground in Kerrville, Texas, in the early morning hours of July 4. Reece Zunker and his wife Paula Zunker and their two children, Lyle and Holland, were lost in the catastrophe.

Reece taught and served as the Head Coach for the boys’ soccer team at Tivy High School in the Kerrville Independent School District. He has been described as “a passionate educator and a beloved soccer coach” by colleagues at the school. “His unwavering dedication to our students, athletes, and the Tivy community touched countless lives and will never be forgotten,” officials at the school posted online last Sunday. His career as an educator spanned 12 years.

Jonathan Ellington, who played for Zunker and graduated from Tivy High in 2019, remembered his former coach fondly. “Coach Zunker is the whole reason we excelled in soccer at Tivy in 2019,” Ellington recalled. “He taught us to work hard, to move as a team, and how to trust and rely on one another’s instincts in the beautiful game,” Ellington continued. “He was a father figure to us all and was an integral part of the culture at Kerrville Tivy,” Ellington concluded.

Reece was named the Tivy High School Teacher of the Year, and was also named the school district’s Secondary Teacher of the Year, says Kerrville Superintendent Dr. Brent Ringo. “He was so respected by our coaches and teachers, and beloved by our students,” Dr. Ringo recalled.

Reece’s wife, Paula, was a former teacher at Tiny High School. “The care and impact she shared with her students continue to be felt, even years later,” officials posted in their online post.

The family had been vacationing at a river house near Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, when the disaster occurred. More than 120 people were swept away and killed in the flood, with at least 160 are still missing.

CA Head Football Coach Matt Logan named “winningest” coach in the Inland Empire

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My former co-worker, Head Football Coach Matt Logan of Centennial, California, has been named the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire. Photo credit: Blast Athletics

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional athletic coach, especially if the coach is someone I know! This is the case with football coach Matt Logan of Centennial High School in Corona, California. Before I retired, Matt and I worked together at the school.

Matt graduated from nearby Norco High School in 1985. Ten years later, he was hired as the Defensive Coordinator at Centennial. Two years later, he advanced to Head Coach, where he built a powerhouse football program. In the 28 seasons that have transpired since Matt took the position, he has logged 28 seasons. During that time, he has become the “winningest” coach in Southern California’s Inland Empire, and will very likely be inducted into the Coaches’ Hall of Fame.

Over the years, Matt has led his student athletes to more than 300 victories, a total of ten CIF Southern Section titles, and one CIF State Championship (2018). And that’s not all. For the past 18 consecutive years, one of Matt’s quarterbacks has gone on to become a future college quarterback.

And I had a front row seat for the excitement, having taught at Centennial from the day the school opened in 1989 until I transferred to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale when that school opened in 2006.

So what is Matt’s secret to winning so many games? “The kids who come here know the expectations and obviously want to compete and that’s all we ask of them,” declared Matt. “Do the work, do what we ask, and we compete every week,” he continued. “I always say, ‘We may get beat, but we always compete.’ I don’t care how tall they are, how fast they are, how big they are. We just want good football players,” he concluded.

 

PA’s Chuck Heberling: Teacher, coach, NFL referee, veteran

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Chuck Heberling was a teacher, a coach, an NFL referee, and a veteran of WWII. Photo credit: Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame

Many outstanding educators also serve as excellent sports officials. One of these is Chuck Heberling, a Pennsylvania teacher and coach who was also a distinguished official for the National Football League (NFL).

Chuck was born on April 28, 1925, in Pittsburgh. After his graduation from Perry High School, he served during WWII as a fighter pilot in the United States Navy. At the conclusion of the war, he enrolled at Pennsylvania’s Washington & Jefferson College, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1949. There he was a multi-sport athlete, lettering in both football and baseball.

After earning his college degree, Chuck accepted a position as a teacher and the coach of the football and basketball teams at East Washington High School. During the 1970’s, he served on School Board of the North Allegheny School District.

For 15 years, Chuck worked as a football official at the high school and college level. He also spent 23 years as an official in the NFL. For 16 of those years he was the crew chief. And as if that were not impressive enough, he was the referee for two of the most famous games in professional football: The Hail Mary in 1975 and The Drive-In in 1987. He also served as an alternate on the crew of officials for the Super Bowl XIII and the Super Bowl XXI, and as the replay official for the Super Bowl XXIII.

In 1976, Chuck became the Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPISL). At that time, the WPIAL was rapidly growing as one of the top scholastic organizations in the country. In 1992, Chuck inaugurated the WPIAL Scholar-Athlete program. During the next few years, the program awarded scholarships to more than 50 students from more than 40 high schools. Chuck retired from the WPIAL in 1997 after 21 years. Today, the WPIAL serves as a model around the county for high school athletic organizations.

In 2002, Chuck was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. In 2007, he was inducted into the Washington & Jefferson College Hall of Fame.

Chuck Heberling died of natural causes on Dec. 9, 2019, at his hime in McCandless, Pennsylvania.

Florida educator Connie Lane Lewis earns honors from DKG

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Florida educator Connie Lane Lewis has been named a Key Women Educator by the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International. Photo credit: DKG Alpha Kappa Chapter

It is always my pleasure to write about an outstanding educator who has made significant contributions to her learning community. Today, I write about Connie Lane Lewis, an outstanding teacher from Tallahassee, Florida. She has been named a Key Women Educator by the Alpha Kappa Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International (DKG).

DKG ia a prestigious professional organization that promotes the professional success of women educators. The organization works to improve professional preparation, to recognize women’s work in the teaching profession, and to fund scholarships for teachers who need support to improve their professional skills.

Connie Lane Lewis worked much of her career as a professional educator at Florida University High School (FSUS), a laboratory school sponsored by Florida State University located in Tallahassee. The school is often referred to as Florida High, although the facility actually serves students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade. She taught there from 1971 to 2004.

At FSUS Connie taught dance, archery, rhythmic exercise, gymnastics, tumbling, and computer science to students at both the elementary and secondary levels. In addition, she served as the high school’s coach for track and field and cheerleading. Furthermore, she served as a choreographer for middle school and high school musicals at FSUS. In addition to her work in the classroom, Connie served as the Membership Chair for the Florida State Association for Health, Physical Education, and Dance. She retired in 2004 after 35 years of teaching.

In addition to the recognition she has earned from DKG, Connie earned a Florida State Service Award in 1980. She was named District Teacher of the Year at FSUS in 1988. She also earned a Florida Retrofit for Technology Grant in the amount of $200,000, and she was named a finalist for an Alan Shepard Technology in Education Award in 2001.

Even in retirement, Connie is very active. Currently she serves as the Communication Chair and Webmaster of DKG’s Alpha Kappa Chapter. In addition to DKG, Connie belongs to the Beta Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa and serves as the organization’s newsletter editor.

Connie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She earned her Master’s degree in Physical Education and Dance from Florida State University. She also earned a Certificate in Computer Science.

To learn more about the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, click on this link: DKG.

Iowa’s Brett Hoyer: Exceptional baseball coach and math teacher

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Math teacher and Head Baseball Coach Brett Hoyer of Cedar Rapids, Iowas, was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2024. Photo credit: The Cedar Rapids Gazette

We are hot in the middle of baseball season, so how about shining a spotlight on an exceptional baseball coach today? One such coach is Brett Hoyer, a teacher and coach at John F. Kennedy High School located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Brett’s tenure as Head Baseball Coach at spans a total of 34 seasons. He has spent 31 of them at Kennedy. In addition, he has served the school as the Offensive Coordinator for the varsity football team. And he also teaches a variety of mathematics courses at the school.

The talented coach led his baseball team, whose mascot is the Cougars, to 14 state tournaments, and to the Class 4A State Championships four times over the past three decades. There his teams captured the first-place honors twice, in 2015 and in 2024.

Brett says his work with high school students, both in the classroom and on the field, is very rewarding. “I know some people dread their jobs, and I’m not one of those people,” he said in an 2014 interview. “I really enjoy working with young people, both in the mathematics classroom and certainly coaching. It makes it awfully easy to get out of bed in the morning and come to work,” he continued. His love for the job has been rewarded. For his work as a coach, Brett was inducted into the Iowa High School Baseball Association Coaches’ Hall of Fame in 2014.

After his graduation from Regina High School, Brett earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education at Wartburg College, a private liberal arts college located in Waverly, Iowa. He was in his junior year there when he made his decision to become a math teacher and athletic coach. He earned his Master’s degree at University of Iowa located in Iowa City. He retired in 2024 after a total of 36 years in the profession.

To learn more about Brett Hoyer, watch could watch this podcast interview of him posted on YouTube.