Letter: A tribute to Coach Fox
Coach Orville Fox passed away Dec. 13. Orville’s years as an educator included junior high, high school, and the college level. Most of those 40-plus years were as a football coach and math teacher of junior high adolescents. I was on his coaching staff during the 1970s and 1980s … tennis, not football. Coach Fox cared about his coaches, players and all the boys and girls programs.
Orville was one of my colleagues whose career helps dispel the misconception held by some that coaches are ineffective in the classroom. Some might be. Most do a good job. Orville liked junior high. It was his choice. He felt he could do more good for young people at that level. With that attitude, along with his knowledge (two master’s degrees) and a passion for football, mathematics and kids – his path was clearly defined.
The man was such a role model to impressionable junior high boys and girls. This was demonstrated by his actions, the way he lived, and the examples that he set. No doubt many have said, “I want my child to play for him or to be in his math class.” Coach Fox made a difference and that is what it is about.
Retired LISD Athletic Director Pete Ragus evidently detected a special persona when he hired Coach Fox. Mr. Ragus expressed to me this past Saturday, “Orville was a special guy. He was the best of the best.”
Bill Shive/Lubbock
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Letter to the editor a tribute to Coach Orville Fox
