Coal City School District athletic director Dan Hutchings will retire at the close of the school year, but before he departs the athletic department honored him for his years of service to the school district and its student athletes with a senior night recognition all his own.
Prior to the start of the Oct. 6 football game, Hutchings made his way down the track with his parents, Jim and Cathy Hutchings. His wife, Janet followed with children, Payton and Leah. There was even a custom made banner featuring his name and a football.
Hutchings has been a part of the Coaler football program for 23 years—four as a player, 15 as an assistant coach and four as the Coalers head coach. In all, Hutchings has spent 29 years with the district as a teacher, coach and administrator. During that time he taught science and drivers education, and coached boys basketball. The majority of his time—21 years—has been spent as the athletic director. In that capacity he has had a number of duties from scheduling games, overseeing the various coaching staffs and organizing senior night activities.
Hutchings took the reins of the athletic department from his former teacher and coach, John Cullick, who said, “a well-respected athletic program needs to have a strong individual at its head, and Coal City has been fortunate to have Dan Hurchings in that position for the past 20 years.”
“Being a hometown person, he’s been able to understand the importance of the athletic program to the community. He carried his competitive desire and work ethic that he showed as a former Coaler athlete and coach to the administrative level. Being responsible for the entire program at both the middle school and high school is a time-consuming and challenging task. Not only from a scheduling standpoint, but he was able to use his people skills to get the coaches to work together, to be successful in their own programs, and to carry that on to the overall athletic program,” Cullick said.
During Hutchings tenure, Coal City’s middle and high school teams have received area, conference, and statewide recognition, most recently with the high school wrestling team winning the state crown earlier this year.
In retirement, Hutchings plans to play a lot more golf, watch his son play baseball, spend time with grandchildren and get some quality time with his wife.
Hutchings will be succeeded in the position by Brad Boresi, the current assistant athletic director and dean of students at the high school.