John Young: A life devoted to coaching
LANCASTER, Ohio — Recently, one of Ohio high school football鈥檚 longest-serving coaches was recognized for his devotion to students on and off the gridiron. John Young may be Fisher Catholic鈥檚 mechanical drawing, architecture and CAD (Computer Aided Design) teacher during school hours, but he may be much more well known to students and alumni as a longtime assistant coach for the Fisher Catholic Irish football team.
Young has seen it all since his coaching career began in 1961 with Triad High School in Lewisburg, Ohio, in the west central part of the state. After three years there, and two more at Amanda-Clearcreek, Young had three long stints with Lancaster (1966-1983), Fairfield Union (1984-1994) and Fisher Catholic (1995-present).
Coach Young was honored before the final regular season game between Fisher Catholic and the Berne Union Rockets. Honoring Coach Young was the brainchild of Fisher Catholic head coach Luke Thimmes, who played under Young when he was a high school student.
鈥淥ne of my assistant coaches who coached me in high school is John Young,鈥� Thimmes said in a post on the school鈥檚 Facebook page the week before Fisher Catholic鈥檚 game against the Berne Union Rockets. 鈥淭his fall marks his 60th year in coaching football, and we are honoring him at the beginning of our game on Oct. 22 with a gathering afterwards at the school.鈥�
The pregame ceremony focused on Young鈥檚 commitment to students and his influence instilling values that go beyond the game of football. Young鈥檚 values were summed up in a powerful quote. A statement was read aloud over the PA before the game that appeared in the which reads:
鈥淭hroughout his coaching career, John always leads by example and serves a role model of care, dedication and loyalty. Coach Young truly cares for all his players and shows care with individualized attention, positive affirmation, and going above and beyond to make student athletes feel special. He makes you feel like you are part of something that is truly bigger than yourself.鈥�
Coincidentally, Coach Young and his wife, Janet, were also celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary around the same time Fisher Catholic was honoring him. Janet was recognized and honored as well. She has been with him every step of the way and has been the classic coach鈥檚 wife in every sense of the word. From scouting trips, clinics and feed the team nights, she鈥檚 been in his corner at every turn.
It鈥檚 extremely rare for a coach to be in the profession as long as Young has. The fact that he is still going strong is a testament to his love for the game of football and of shaping and molding high school kids into young men. Congratulations to Coach Young!
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