Going out a winner

Forty-years-old may seem relatively young for a high school coach to retire, but for Doug Hall its time.

The man who fell in love with track as a boy growing up in Wisconsin, will retire at season’s end after 16 years as a coach, inluding 13 as the head coach at Everett High School.

Un

der Hall’s guidance, the Everett developed into a powerhouse. The Seagulls have won either the league or district championship every year since 2004 and in 2007 they won the Class 3A state title.

But the amount of work it takes to recruit kids for track took its toll and Hall decided before t

his season that this one would be his last.

“I feel our biggest success is turning (around) a program when I first started (that) was the worst in the league, with 20 kids finishing a season to — we are a little bit lower this year — but averaging in the 60s,” Hall said.

This week, Hall and the Wesco 3A champion Seagulls go after yet another 3A district championship, with Glacier Peak and Shorecrest expected to be right on their tails. The district meet takes place at Shoreline Stadium, where Everett won its first district championship.

“We have had some pretty good success there,” Hall said.

Hall said that when he started coaching at Everett, he tried to get anyone and everyone to come out for the team, later focusing on athletes and students he felt were good people that would fit in nicely with the squad. But he always expected a lot of his athletes.

“It’s amazing once you raise the bar of expectations how fast things improve,” Hall said.

And he had to be persistent to get those athletes to come out.

“To me a ‘No I’m not interested’ is a maybe, and a ‘Maybe’ is a yes. That’s my philosophy,” Hall said. “Most of the time they enjoy it because they are part of something successful.

“I will talk to a kid five to 10 times between the fall and the spring to try and get them out if it’s either a good kid or a good athlete. Hopefully it’s both,” Hall said. “It takes a lot of effort, that’s one out of several reasons I decided, I just don’t want to do that anymore. I mean it’s hard.”

Hall, who teaches math and physics at Everett High School said his commitment to his students also played a role in his decision. Not always being available to his students when they need help after school has been tough on him.

“Right now I am not willing to put forth the same amount of time that I have in the past and, therefore, if I am not going to do it the way I wanted, the way I think it should be done, then I am not going to do it at all,” Hall said.

Hall has coached hundreds of kids over the years and it is clear they all mean a great deal to him. A few, however, stood out.

Hall said two juniors on the state championship team of 2007, J. Hopkins and Rendel Jones, nicknamed Hall “The Track Daddy.” “I was basically a second father to those guys,” Hall said.

Hopkins, now at Washington State University, is ranked nationally in the 400-meter hurdles.

Hall also mentioned a thrower from his early years at Everett: Jake Stevens.

“He did a very unique thing,” Hall said. “He placed in state in the shot (put), disc(us) and javelin. That’s pretty impressive. He was my first very successful thrower.”

Hall said that the itch to coach may return and a Brett Favre-style comeback is not out of the question. But for now, he’s done.

“The Green Bay Packers are my favorite team. But the difference between him and me is that I am resigning my position and they are going to fill it with somebody else,” Hall said.

Hall could have returned in a diminished role, but that’s something he never considered.

“People ask me, ‘Why don’t you just come back as an assistant,” Hall said. “Once you are the ‘Track Daddy,’ you aren’t going to be the assistant. I don’t want to come across sound as arrogant, but if I have all the headaches, I want to be the one that makes all the decisions.”

After creating such a competitive program, Hall is now part of the great history at Everett High School.

“That would be one of the greatest compliments that I have ever had, you know if they say ‘Doug Hall part of Everett High’s great tradition.’ I have never thought about that really, but if someone mentioned me, I would be extremely proud.”

There are a couple of athletes on this year’s team who could make some noise at the 3A state championships and possibly send their coach out on a high note. Hall mentioned Ty Sissel in the 300 hurdles and shot putter Issac Whaley as two athletes capable of placing well at state.

“He (Ty) reminds me a lot of J Hopkins,” Hall said.

The finality of his decision porbably won’t hit him until after the state championships, Hall said.

“When we are done at state, I think it is going to be just like any other year, you are relieved because you have put so much energy into the last three weeks, you have league, district, state, it’s the busiest time of the year, it’s like my tax season.” Hall said. “When it is going to hit me would be the banquet. Once I start handing out those awards, I am sure I am going to get choked up and it’s going to be a big deal.”

Above all, Hall is pleased he was able to coach on his terms.

“There are a lot of things that I have done that might not be considered conventional — I am proud of the fact that I did it my way,” Hall said. “I didn’t worry about what other people thought, I did it my way and I had a blast. I would never change anything I ever did.”