Wes Gall has been synonymous with Manchester varsity football for the better part of three decades.
From joining the coaching staff as an assistant to taking the reigns as the head coach of the Flying Dutchmen, Gall has played a major role in putting Manchester football among the state's elite programs.
His peers from the state are recognizing him for his efforts, as Gall will be inducted into the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2008.
The induction will take place April 19 at the University of Michigan's Indoor Track Building. The event begins with cocktails at 6 p.m. with dinner following at 7 p.m. The Hall of Fame induction ceremony begins at 8 p.m.
Gall is one of 13 coaches being inducted in the MHSFCA Hall of Fame this year. Eleven of the coaches, including Gall, are still actively coaching.
"It's a great honor to be inducted with these gentlemen," Gall said. "They've had longevity at their schools and have worked hard. I'm sure they have a support system within their school and get great community support like we do here."
There are several criteria coaches must have to be nominated into the Hall of Fame. Coaches must be members of the Coaches Association in good standing and be actively involved in the MHSFCA for two years prior to being inducted. Those honored need to have 25 years of coaching experience, 10 of those years as a varsity head coach. Inductees also need to have recorded over 100 wins in their coaching career.
Gall joined the Manchester varsity football program in 1976 as an assistant coach to former head coach Jim Fielder. The staff faced adversity five years later when the Dutchmen's 1981 season was wiped out after the Manchester Community Schools millage, which provided the funding for high school sports, didn't pass voter approval. All fall sports seasons were cancelled for that school year, but returned the following year.
Today, Manchester has evolved into one of the state's top football programs, making 19 playoff appearances since 1982.
"I really thank the Manchester Board of Education for their support of the athletic program," Gall said.
Gall took over as head coach in 1988, and the Dutchmen didn't miss a beat. Manchester qualified for the state playoffs in each of Gall's first 10 seasons as head coach. The highlight came in 1993 when the Dutchmen went undefeated in the regular season, repeated as Cascades Conference champions and advanced to the state championship game at the Pontiac Silverdome, where they were stopped by a 28-8 loss to Iron Mountain.
During that campaign, the Dutchmen outscored their opponents 458-84.
The year before, Manchester went 10-1-1 and advanced to the state semifinals.
The Dutchmen posted their only losing season under Gall in 2002, when they finished 3-6. However, they came back strong from 2003-05, winning three straight Cascades titles and making four appearances in the playoffs.
"Anytime you compete for a state championship and win a conference championship, it's a highlight," Gall said. "There were years where we didn't win, but were still special because we overachieved. It's tough not to recognize all those years."
Individually, Gall has won several football coaching awards. He is a two-time winner of the MHSFCA Coach of the Year award, earning the honor in 1993 and 2004. Gall was also the Associated Press Coach of the Year in 1993 and was the Ann Arbor News Coach of the Year in 1990.
Gall has mentored several standout athletes in his career. Among them is Nick Davis (1998), who became a star receiver and kick returner at the University of Wisconsin and was eventually drafted into the National Football League by the Minnesota Vikings. Gall recently coached Jordan Tallman (2004), who started as quarterback for Kalamazoo College the past two seasons.
"All the athletes who came out and worked with my program helped make it successful," Gall said. "Without them, there wouldn't be much coaching."
Along with coaching football, Gall has also served as head coach for Manchester's junior varsity football, baseball, softball, basketball and volleyball teams. He has also served as the school's athletic director for the past 12 years and has taught at Manchester High School since 1975. He also takes an active role in the community.
Gall has participated in many service activities including Manchester youth basketball, youth baseball and softball and the Manchester Athletic Boosters. He was involved with helping the boosters raise money for the Manchester Athletic Complex and the establishment of Manchester's Wall of Fame.
Gall credits his coaching staff and administrators in the athletic department, especially secretary Sandy Gordi, for helping him make Manchester athletics successful.
"I don't get around without good people," he said. "I have a great secretary and the other football coaches have been great and have longevity with the program. I'm thankful that I have the people I do in the program."
Last year, the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association named Gall the Athletic Director of the Year for Region 6.
"Manchester football will always be bigger than Wes Gall," he said. "Everyone in the program shares this honor."
Joining Gall as part of the MHSFCA Hall of Fame Class of 2008 are Dave Cheesebro (Portage Central West Middle School), John Dukes (Hartland), Tim Furno (Millington), John Knuth (Marysville), Chuck Koons (Saginaw Swan Valley), Tim Levasseur (Bangor John Glenn), James C. McCloughan (South Haven), Kurt Richardson (Clarkston), Jim Ritter (Battle Creek Lakeview), Douglas E. Ruhl (Frankenmuth), Gene Skidmore (Wyandotte Roosevelt) and Roger Wood (Kingsley).
Tickets for the event are $25. The deadline for pre-sale tickets is April 11.
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.
TOP JOBS
