Dale Martin is
WR’s new grid coach
After a two-month search
By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer
For a retired guy, Dale Martin keeps
pretty busy. At 64, he’s got energy to burn and a strong desire to be involved
with young people and sports.
And now, after a career of coaching that
dates back to 1962, Hailey resident Martin has his first head coaching job.
Martin was hired Thursday as Wood River
High School’s new football coach. He replaces John Blackman, who resigned Jan.
27 after 12 seasons as Wolverine head football coach.
Dale Martin. Wood River’s new
varsity football coach. Express photo by Jeff Cordes
He started immediately to assemble a
staff, make plans for a summer football camp and introduce himself to
prospective Wood River football players and their families.
"We’re six to eight weeks behind schedule
right now," said Martin, whose first scheduled game is Sept. 5 against Wendell
at Phil Homer Field.
But Martin is very familiar with the Wood
River program. He’s been an assistant coach to Blackman for four seasons
starting in 1999. Last fall Martin was defensive coordinator.
The Wood River head coaching job paid
$3,700 last year. Martin made $2,400 as assistant. The staff includes three
coaches at the varsity level, two JV and two freshmen.
In fact, Martin has done many things for
the Blaine County School District since he and his wife Marti moved to Hailey
from Seattle after selling their business there in 1996.
"The amount of work Dale Martin has done
for the school district is unbelievable," said Wood River High School athletic
director Ron Martinez.
For the last two years Martin has been in
charge of athletic maintenance and athletic equipment at the high school.
He has been assistant softball coach at
Wood River since 1998 and has developed young softball players in the Silver
Foxes summer program. Since arriving in Hailey, he has worked for the Blaine
County Recreation District taking care of ball fields and running the umpire
program in summer.
"I believe in getting involved. That’s
what I do," said Martin. "Marti and I weren’t ready to retire when we sold our
company in Seattle in 1996. But someone made us an offer we couldn’t refuse."
He wanted the Wood River head football
job, Martin said. "It’s a new beginning for the program and for me," he said.
"I’m a big believer in positive reinforcement. And I want to make this program
something everybody can be proud of."
Martin’s hiring, finalized Thursday night,
completed a two-month search process by an 11-member committee of Blaine County
School District teachers, community members and student representatives.
Martinez said the committee spent 30 hours
interviewing nine candidates and assessing the results. The nine candidates
included six from Idaho and three from out of state.
Most prominent and one involved until the
final selection night was Tom Harrison, current coach of the powerhouse Snake
River (Moreland) Panthers football program.
Harrison’s Panthers have won an Idaho
record 54 straight games and five straight State 3A championships including last
November’s 44-14 trouncing of Weiser in Boise. Snake River was 12-0 last year.
Because of his glittering record, the
committee closely scrutinized Harrison, but the Snake River coach made some
requests that the school district couldn’t meet, Martinez said.
"We felt we’d get a coach out of the
original five we interviewed, and Dale was one of those five," said Martinez.
"Dale fits all the things we were looking
for in a coach. He can prepare the kids to move up to the next division. He is
someone who is sensitive to our kids and someone who can motivate them to be
champs."
Other candidates were Shawn Scow, coach of
the State 1A champion Castleford Wolves who elected to take an assistant
football/basketball coaching job at 3A Payette High School; Parma football coach
Mike Olson; and Ryan Fleischman, former assistant coach to Layne Coffin at
Century High School.
Completing the list were Ray Kroth from
Utah, Cal Szubner from Tillamook, Oregon and Mike Voit from Washington. Wood
River High School freshman football coach Rick Ambrosi was also interviewed.
As school recesses for the summer May 30,
Martin will get next year’s grid players ready to attend a Montana State
University summer camp June 15-18. "We took 22 last year. We’d like to take as
many as we can this year," he said.
The high school weight room will be open
Mondays through Fridays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. throughout the summer, he said.
Small groups will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays to throw the ball around.
Martin said he will make some changes in
the staff and also in offensive tactics—which means Blackman’s double-wing power
running attack will probably be a thing of the past.
"My philosophy is I want to throw the
football," said Martin. "I believe you do fewer things on the football field—and
you do them well. I believe in a trick play or two. It forces the opponent to
prepare for it."
He added, "There are three parts to
football—offense, defense and special teams. If you win two of the three, you
win the football game. Special teams are very important.
"We will never walk on the field when we
don’t think we’ll be successful. As a staff, nobody will out-work us. We will be
prepared and we’ll spend a lot of time looking at film.
"After every game we’ll have a reception
for the parents that the athletes will attend. And I’ll address the reception.
"I just want pride with our kids. And I
want to get the community behind the team. This is a Wood River Valley team,
after all, and we need the community’s support.
"I want a successful program where the
kids will play hard, do their best and give me 100%. Then we’ll be fine."
On the selection committee were Martinez,
high school principal Graham Hume and high school teachers Jeff Larson and Keith
Jacobson; Tom Bailey and Chris Malmgren from Wood River Middle School; students
Matt Pruett and Dustin Selner; and community members Pete Kramer, John Koth and
Sandy Sanders.
About Dale Martin
Born—June 28, 1938 at Fullerton,
Ca. Grew up in Bakersfield. Graduated from Newport Harbor High School in Newport
Beach, Ca. in 1957.
Age—64.
College—Earned
an athletic scholarship to Whittier College in Whittier, Ca. where he
participated in football, track. Graduated from Whittier in 1961 with a degree
in physical education.
Business experience—First
big job: Physical Education Director at La Habra (Ca.) Boys Club in 1963. Martin
worked in athletic supply for seven years at La Habra. Moved to Seattle in 1971.
Worked for Growing Green Interiors, an interior plantscape company in Seattle,
from 1973-96. Was general manager/owner from 1983-96.
What you don’t know about Martin—Qualified
for the 1960 Olympic trials in the 200-meter dash and was the Whittier College
track captain in 1961….Played men’s major fast-pitch softball.
Coaching experience—Martin
said, "I have coached at all levels from youth to adult. I have coached women’s
softball, youth league basketball, baseball and football at both the junior high
and high school level. And I have experience as an athletic trainer dealing with
injuries…I feel my strengths are dealing with people and coaching."
Family—Wife
Martha "Marti" Isaacson Martin is completing her first year as attendance
secretary at Wood River High School. The couple’s son Jeff Martin, 26, is a Sun
Valley policeman. He is married to Kristin and they have three children: Brett,
9; Adele, 3; and Cameron, 2. Dale also has two children from his first marriage:
Greg Martin of Seattle and Elisa Martin Tafolla of San Bernardino, Ca.
Hobbies—Dale
said, "Jeff and I do a lot of duck hunting and fishing."