Yearout more than coach

As Tom Yearout and his (Lewis and Clark) staff bring a football state championship trophy back to Spokane, people should know Coach Yearout has given much more to our community than just a trophy.

I’ve been in sports long enough to know that many coaches should be anything but coaches.

Like hundreds of other men, however, I was fortunate enough to be coached by one of the best. The lessons people are taught on a Yearout football field impact them long after graduation.

Coach Yearout and his staff practice what most other coaches only preach: It’s not about the football. It’s about being a better person when you walk off the field than when you walked on it. It’s about learning who you are and what you’re capable of. It’s all the things coaches are supposed to represent, but lack the character to do so.

I have only spoken with Coach Yearout a few times since graduating in 2001, but I still find myself quoting him to others. My brother (who also played for Coach Yearout) and I still talk about the lessons we learned from him, and how they impact our lives today.

I know I speak for hundreds of others when I say my life is better because Yearout was in it. Our community should celebrate a state championship today, but celebrate a great man and true coach every day.

Patrick Haffey

Spokane