|
Winningest Active Coach in Oregon Won 307 Games
After 21 years at Marshfield, and 38 years as a head coach, Kent Wigle is retiring. Combined with 17 years at South Umpqua, Wigle compiled a record of 307-99-2, trailing only the late Dewey Sullivan, who compiled a record of 352-84-2 at Dayton. Included in those wins were the 1992 State Title with the Pirates, eight Midwestern League championships, and an incredible 55 consecutive wins in league games from 1994 to 2000.
"It's time for people who are on campus to take control," according to the 62 year old Wigle, who retired from full time teaching at the Coos Bay school in 2003.
"I'm going to miss coaching this fall," said Wigle, "but I'm looking forward to spending more time with my wife and my father (who is 93). Fall is a beautiful time of the year, and this is an opportunity for Susan and me to do some things."
Susan, Wigle's wife for 33 years, will get a break from a tradition of cooking Sunday dinner for 20, and some times more, players. "It's been a nice ride for me," she said. "It's always been fun."
"I'm not going away though," Wigle explained. "I told Justin (Ainsworth, a long time assistant at Marshfield, who also played for Wigle), that I'll help with the football class as long as I'm healthy, and I'll work with the fifth and sixth grade youth program."
Wigle attributed the timing of his decision to the challenge of recruiting players since he retired. "It's harder to be competitive when coaches aren't teaching and recruiting. It's tough when you're not here every day." A decrease in enrollment at Marshfield of about 400 students in recent years, due to the hard hit the south coast economy has experienced, had made the challenge of finding talent both more difficult and more vital.
Prior to coming to Marshfield before the 1988 season, Wigle, a Riddle and Southern Oregon University graduate, led South Umpqua to 134 wins, and won or shared three state titles, and also claimed two state baseball championships in four appearances in the finals.
Wigle led the Pirates to the playoffs 18 times in 21 years, including 2008, when Marshfield fell to Jefferson 22-18 on the road, in a game where a pair of two point conversions were the difference.
Marshfield athletic director Greg Mulkey said the position will be filled as quickly as possible as the district goes through the hiring process. Wigle won't be far from the program though.
Josh Line, former Oregon player and a Wigle assistant the last six years explained "Coach is still going to be around. He's very generous with his time and knowledge. I know I'll be calling him a lot. He's going to be as much a part of what we do as me."
"It's what I got in the business for," Wigel remarked.
(John Gunther of The (Coos Bay) World and Dave Heitz of Grants Pass contributed to this story.)
CC
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
Oregon Football 
