EDMONDS — There’s a running joke among the students and staff at Edmonds-Woodway High School regarding longtime football coach John Gradwohl. Gradwohl is notorious for wearing his khaki shorts no matter how cold the temperature may be, so when the school held Dress Like Your Teacher Day a few years back it wasn’t hard to identify the students who chose Gradwohl as their subject.
But after 28 seasons, Gradwohl decided it was time for he and his khaki shorts to step away from the sidelines.
Gradwohl, the dean of Wesco football coaches, is stepping down from his position at Edmonds-Woodway. The 58-year-old will remain a physical education teacher at the school.
“I suppose there are a lot of reasons,” Gradwohl said when asked why he felt now was the time to step down. “I think it’s the best thing for the program, and the best thing for me. I think the program needs a little bit of a reboot, get someone in with new ideas and new energy, I think that will be good for the school and the kids. I’m going to miss it, I still love it. But I don’t think I’m able to give the program what is needed.”
Gradwohl, who graduated from Woodway High School in 1983, turned his alma mater into one of the most consistent programs in Wesco. In his 28 seasons — which made Gradwohl the longest-tenured football coach in Wesco — he compiled a 174-100 record, won 10 Wesco championships and guided the Warriors to six state playoff appearances, including trips to the Class 4A state semifinals in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007.
“To put it simply, John is Edmonds-Woodway football,” Edmonds School District athletic director Angie McGuire said. “Over the last 28 years, he has created an atmosphere of high expectations in his program and has put competitive teams on the field each year. He has also created a football program where players know they can count on him for anything — whether it is related to football, school or life. He is there for the athletes without condition.
“We have been fortunate to have John at EW for the last 28 seasons. His mark on the football program and in the community is something that will last for a long time.”
Gradwohl never set out to coach his alma mater. After playing for legendary football coach Frosty Westering at Pacific Lutheran University, Gradwohl moved to California, where spent two years as a teacher and football coach at Ramona High School near San Diego and three years at Berkeley High School in the Bay Area. But after marrying his wife Margie, the couple moved back to the Puget Sound region. That happened to coincide with the football coaching job opening up at Edmonds-Woodway, which was the product of Woodway and Edmonds high schools merging in 1990. Gradwohl applied for the jobs at both Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace, and he took the Warriors job because that’s where he interviewed first. His first season in charge was 1996.
Since then Gradwohl became an institution of Snohomish County high school football, with his 28 years at one school rivaling the likes of Dick Armstrong’s 32 years at Snohomish. Among the players he coached during his tenure were future NFLers Keith Grennan and Ali Gaye. His career concluded with a season in which Edmonds-Woodway went 5-1 in Wesco 3A South play and 6-4 overall, advancing to the Week 10 playoffs.
“I feel good about (my time as Edmonds-Woodway’s coach),” Gradwohl said. “I feel like the program is in a pretty good place. It wasn’t perfect, as coaches we’re evaluating ourselves all the time and finding things we could have done better. But I feel it’s in a good place for the next coach, there’s a good team coming back and a pretty good tradition. I feel like most every year we ended the season playing a game that matters, and that makes it exciting for the kids. Looking back at all the different decades is a little overwhelming, but in a good way.”
While Gradwohl’s teams experienced plenty of success, he said his favorite memories didn’t necessarily revolve around the biggest successes.
“I think some of my favorite memories are when the kid who wasn’t the star player made the big play,” Gradwohl said.
“I had a couple teams that finished third in state — and those were exciting trips — but I remember another team that started 0-4 and ended up finishing 5-5, and I was just so proud of the team for not giving up and hanging in there and having success.
“I had some great athletes, but I also think of the players over the years who played out of position to help the team. I could list so many kids who did whatever it took to help the team. Seeing kids make sacrifices for the betterment of the team and be unselfish is pretty cool.”
Gradwohl also went out of his way to acknowledge his assistant coaches, as well as express gratitude for the support he received from school administration throughout his 28 years.
Because Gradwohl is remaining at Edmonds-Woodway as a teacher, he said he was ready to help out the new coach in any capacity, including staying completely away if asked. And Gradwohl didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to coaching in the future.
“You never say never,” Gradwohl said. “I know I need some time away right now. Maybe I’ll never coach again, maybe I will. Who knows what the future holds.”
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