NFHS Voice: Thank You to All Coaches
January 29, 2021
By Karissa Niehoff
NFHS Executive Director
Earlier this week, the NFHS recognized more than 700 individuals for their efforts as high school coaches during the 2019-20 school year, including 23 as National Coaches of the Year.
The accomplishments of the national recipients are extraordinary, but comments about their roles as education-based coaches are even more telling as to why they were selected.
Mary Beth Bourgoin, field hockey coach at Winslow High School in Maine, who, although she has won 173 games, said, in an article in the Portland Press-Herald, “It’s not about winning and losing. It’s about relationships and having fun.”
Donna Moir has won three state championships as girls basketball coach at Sacred Heart Academy in Louisville, Kentucky, but is known more for her sportsmanship, humility and kindness.
Jerry Petitgoue, basketball coach at Cuba City (Wisconsin) High School, who has won 963 games in 53 years, led his team to an unblemished 25-0 record before the pandemic cancelled the state tournament.
In an article for SWNew4u.com, Petitgoue said, “I’m very proud to receive this recognition for Cuba City High School and the community. I’m happy it comes during these trying times. Every little positive thing is uplifting these days.”
Mary Jo Truesdale, softball coach at Sheldon High School in Sacramento, California, has won 759 games and eight California Interscholastic Federation-Sac Joaquin Section championships, but was unable to coach her team last spring due to the pandemic.
“I worry about the well-being of my players, especially the seniors who don’t have a next season to play in high school,” said Truesdale in an article in the Sacramento Bee. “We know there are more things going on in life that are much bigger than softball, and that’s what we’re all learning.”
Ron Murphy, baseball coach at Rio Rancho (New Mexico) High School, is second all-time in his state with 567 victories but was only able to lead his team to a few wins last spring before the coronavirus shut down the program and ended hopes for a state tournament.
Despite his own success, Murphy was more focused on his players in a recent article in the Albuquerque Journal, noting that, “The thing that gets me most excited about this award is that it brings national attention to Rio Rancho High School baseball.”
Doug Hislop, wrestling coach at Imbler (Oregon) High School, has coached for 50 years and remains active at 73 years of age, continuing to teach kids lessons on and off the mat.
David Halligan, soccer coach at Falmouth (Maine) High School, has led his teams to 12 state titles. In an article in the Portland Press Herald, Halligan said, “I’m proud that we’ve had a lot of good players and good programs for a lot of years. I find a lot of joy in coaching at the high school level. I love seeing how kids develop from freshmen to seniors and how they grow as people.”
These are but a few of the individuals selected for national honors in 2019-20 – all of whom have impacted student-athletes in positive ways for decades.
When it comes to honoring coaches for the 2020-21 school year, we should give a shout-out to every individual involved in high school education-based athletics for their tremendous efforts leading programs through the pandemic. Next to frontline health-care workers, there is no group of individuals to whom we should be more indebted than high school coaches.
Prior to the pandemic, a high school coach’s job was already a next-to-impossible 24-7 mission. In addition to preparing for the daily “Xs and Os,” interscholastic coaches spend countless hours in mentorship capacities with student-athletes off the field or court, answer tough questions from parents, teach classes during the school day and handle a number of never-ending, always-changing daily tasks.
This year, coaches are faced with other tasks related to COVID-19, which, in some cases, involve keeping team members connected and motivated in a virtual setting.
There is pressure on coaches to maintain protocols related to the pandemic and stay on course so the games can continue. The additional daily checklist is endless: sanitize equipment, remind students to wear masks and maintain social distancing, temperature and wellness checks with students, follow an endless list of protocols if a student tests positive, and the list goes on and on.
The tasks of high school coaches seem larger than life this year, and these men and women deserve our utmost respect and appreciation. In addition to parents, and perhaps in lieu of parents in some cases, high school coaches are helping student-athletes survive the pandemic and maintain a healthy outlook on life.
We salute this year’s award recipients – and all high school coaches – for their commitment to keeping our country’s future leaders – high school students – on track during one of the most trying years in our nation’s history.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is starting her third year as executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
Lifelong Hawkeye: Joostberns Continues Legacy of Service in Hamilton
By
Zach Harig
Hamilton Community Schools
September 19, 2025
For nearly half a century, the voice behind Friday night football games in Hamilton has belonged to one man: Loren Joostberns.
A 1970 graduate of Hamilton High School, Joostberns has worn many hats in his hometown – teacher, coach, announcer, scorekeeper, school board member – but all of them share a common thread: a deep commitment to giving back to the community that raised him.
“This is my 45th year of announcing football games for Hamilton,” Joostberns said proudly, his voice carrying the same warmth that has welcomed fans to Hawkeye Stadium for decades. “I’ve done some volleyball, a lot of wrestling, occasionally some basketball, but mostly the scorebook in basketball for 44 years, and I do announce baseball in the spring now, which has been fun.”
With so much experience and history from the community, Joostberns is regularly asked to serve as the voice of many school district and community videos. His voice is arguably the most recognizable in town. From morning coffee at the round table at the local restaurant in town, to school board meetings, to microphones all around the district, Joostberns is seen and heard no matter where he goes around Hamilton.
Building a life in Hamilton
Not many can claim that they have been involved in a school district before it was even a school district.
However, Joostberns can make that claim as he was in kindergarten in 1957-58, with Hamilton becoming its own school district on June 23, 1958. He then continued in the school district as a student through graduation.
After graduating from Hamilton and then Hope College, Joostberns returned to the district as a teacher. He taught for 30 years, then continued his connection to the classroom as a substitute teacher for another nine. Today, he remains an active part of Hamilton Community Schools as Board of Education secretary, now in his 13th year of service.
Through it all, he has found joy in staying close to athletics. Since announcing his first football game in 1981, he’s become a fixture at sporting events year-round. His passion is not about statistics or wins and losses – it’s about making sure young athletes have the best possible experiences.
“I think one thing is, what can you do to contribute to kids having good experiences?” he said. “That’s one thing I always keep in the back of my mind. You want to do what you can to help kids have positive experiences, and if that contributes in a small way, then it’s worth it.”
Of course, Joostberns admits there’s a little fun in the job, too. “You’re in the center of the action. I’ve got the best seat in the house for football, and for basketball you’re at center court. You get to know the officials, get to know people from other schools, and it’s a good way to be involved.”
Memories from the press box
The Hamilton facilities Joostberns works in today look nothing like what he started with in the early 1980s. He chuckled as he recalled the first press box from which he worked.
“In football, if you would have seen what we had in Hamilton back in 1981 and 1982 compared to what we have now in terms of facilities, it’s incredible,” he said. “The press box was a little green building basically on stilts that swayed with heavy winds, and it held six people – two coaches from each team on either side and an announcer and timer in the middle. You were elbow to elbow and you felt in a precarious position because you didn’t know if the press box was going to stand up or not.”
That humble start makes him especially proud to see how the district has grown its athletic facilities and opportunities for students.
While Joostberns has devoted his life to Hamilton, he also holds a special passion for the University of Michigan. He has been a season ticket holder for 51 years, attending countless games at “The Big House” in Ann Arbor. The dual loyalties complement one another: Hamilton football on Fridays and Michigan football on Saturdays.
But no matter how big the stage gets, his heart always comes back to Hamilton. “At Hamilton, we have always prided ourselves in trying our best to do the best we can for kids, to do things the right way,” Joostberns said. “That’s why I’ve stayed involved for so long.”
Lasting Legacy
Few communities can point to someone who has continuously served across so many different roles for more than four decades.
Joostberns’ contributions can’t be measured in titles or statistics, but rather in the memories he has helped shape – whether it’s an athlete hearing his name announced before a big play, a student remembering him as a teacher, or a fellow community member working alongside him on the school board. Numerous times a year, veteran opposing coaches greet Joostberns before the game to say hi because he is such a staple of the community and school district. His warm and friendly demeanor is appreciated by all, both on the home and opposing sidelines.
Hamilton’s athletic director and coaches often describe him as the kind of person every school hopes to have: reliable, passionate, and selfless. He doesn’t do it for recognition, but for the chance to leave things a little better than he found them.
For Joostberns, the motivation is simple: “It’s about helping kids, and being part of something bigger than yourself.”
And for Hamilton, the community is grateful that one of its own has been willing to give back for so many years. As recognition for his countless years of service in and out of the classroom, “Mr. Hamilton” was honored with the high school basketball court being renamed the Loren Joostberns Court in 2021.
From the rickety old press box of 1981 to the modern facilities of today, from chalkboards in the classroom to discussions in the boardroom, Joostberns has remained a steady, positive presence. His story is a reminder of how one person’s steady commitment over a lifetime can shape a school and community for generations.
Not all lessons or legacies are cemented in the classrooms or fields, but some are passed on from behind the mic and echoed over the airwaves for all to hear and cherish.
PHOTOS (Top) Hamilton’s Loren Joostberns poses for a photo in front of the high school stadium this fall. (Middle) Joostberns has served the district in several roles over the years, including as a member of the school board. (Below) Joostberns takes a moment for a photo while behind the microphone. (Photos courtesy of Hamilton Community Schools.)