EVERETT — Terry Ennis was weak and tired.
But even in his final weeks of life, the longtime high school football coach showed flashes of the passion that made him a living legend to many admirers and helped him reach No. 2 on the state’s career victories list.
Although Ennis lost his five-year battle with prostate cancer early Wednesday morning, as recently as Saturday the coach enthusiastically directed his Archbishop Murphy High School football team.
“He was vibrant to the end. When practice started, holy smokes — it’s just amazing when he gets on the sideline,” said Rick Stubrud, Ennis’ brother-in-law.
Ennis died of cancer-related complications about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. A 1962 graduate of Everett High School, he was 63.
Ennis, who coached Archbishop Murphy to a 49-7 nonconference victory Saturday over Black Hills in Tumwater, became uncomfortable Sunday night and by midday Monday went to Providence Everett Medical Center, Stubrud said. Around 11 p.m., Ennis was transferred to the UW Medical Center. Doctors tried to stabilize his condition but his body began to shut down rapidly late Tuesday, Stubrud said.
“It’s a very sad day at Archbishop Murphy High School,” said the school’s principal, Kristine Brynildsen-Smith, who spoke Wednesday morning at a prayer service for Ennis in the school gymnasium.
Ennis is survived by his wife, Fran; a son, Joe; and daughters Jenny Leger and Amy Schaffler. A public memorial service is scheduled 2 p.m. Sept. 23 at Archbishop Murphy High School.
Through two games this season, both victories, Ennis’ career high school coaching record was 287-87 over 35-plus seasons. The only high school coach in the state with more victories is Sid Otton of Tumwater High School, who is in his 40th season.
Ennis certainly will be remembered for his success on the football field, but those who knew him best said his influence stretched beyond athletics.
“He stands out because he was such a tremendous example of a very, very fine human being,” Brynildsen-Smith said. “He certainly was an excellent coach and he certainly was a competitive person, but he wanted what was the best to prepare kids to be responsible, intelligent, spiritual leaders.”
Paul Lawrence, who played football with Ennis at Everett High School in the early 1960s and later coached with him at Cascade and Murphy, called Ennis passionate, demanding and caring.
“He knew every player — not only their names. He knew their backgrounds, their strengths, their weaknesses (and) their families,” Lawrence said.
Ennis’ career included head-coaching stints at Stanwood, Bellarmine Prep, Renton, Cascade and Murphy. He guided three teams to state championships: Cascade in 1991, and Murphy in 2002 and 2003.
Ennis, who played defensive back for what’s now Santa Clara University in California, was elected this year to the Pacific Northwest Football Hall of Fame. In February, Murphy officials honored him by naming the school’s football facility Terry Ennis Stadium. Ennis never had a chance to coach a game at the stadium after it took his name. Murphy’s first home contest this season is Sept. 21 versus Cedarcrest.
Murphy has not named a coach to succeed Ennis. The football team held a short practice Wednesday and will play its scheduled game Friday at Coupeville, school officials said.
Ennis’ condition deteriorated rapidly the past few weeks, said Lawrence, who coaches Murphy’s offensive linemen.
Murphy opened its season with a trip to Las Vegas. Coordinating practices and coaching a game in 105-degree heat took a major toll, Lawrence said: “You could kind of tell that he was really affected by that. That was a long trip.”
Ennis, who recently gave up his duties as Murphy’s athletic director, did not attend practice last Thursday and struggled on the sidelines at the Black Hills game, Lawrence said. Ennis also missed practice Monday and Tuesday.
“I think that he felt in the summer that he was going to be OK,” Lawrence said. But cancer-related complications “apparently progressed very rapidly.”
Ennis’ decision to continue coaching despite health issues did not surprise those close to him.
“Knowing Terry the way I did, I think he wanted and needed to continue to coach as long as he possibly could. That was life-giving to him,” Brynildsen-Smith said.
Known for his extremely disciplined, well-conditioned teams, Ennis enjoyed remarkable coaching success, especially at Cascade and Murphy. His combined record in 18-plus seasons at the two schools was 178-32, a winning percentage of .848. He helped popularize the Wing-T offense, which emphasizes angle blocking and simple but effective running plays. Many prep teams in the area and throughout the country use a version of Wing-T.
Even in years when his team lacked student-athletes with superior talent, Ennis found ways to succeed. “He was a great mentor, a great leader (and a) great motivator. That’s really what strikes me about his characteristics — his ability to get the most out of his players, year in and year out,” said Lake Stevens High School head football coach Tom Tri, who played for Ennis’ first Cascade team in 1988.
Ennis’ top achievement may have been taking a program from nothing to state champion in three seasons.
After retiring from coaching at Cascade, he took on a new challenge at Murphy, once known as Holy Cross. Murphy did not have a football team when it relocated to south Everett in October 1999. But Ennis came on board and got to work.
Despite welcoming many players who were new to organized football, Ennis molded Murphy into a Class 1A state champion by 2002, the team’s third season.
He did it with the same approach that worked marvelously since he took his first head-coaching job at Stanwood in 1971.
Said Tri of Ennis, “He had a blueprint for success and it was about building relationships with kids and always putting the team first. He connected with the kids.”
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