A lot has changed in the 25 years since Marty Osborn took over as head football coach at Kentridge High School.
But his love for coaching burns as fiercely as ever.
“Coaching or teaching, that is my mission in life, and I love doing it,” the 54-year-old Osborn said. “I see myself continuing to do it, one way or the other.”
The Chargers are coming off a trying season with a 1-9 record, but Osborn said he is optimistic the 2015 team will do well.
“Our outlook is bright,” he said. “We are always feeling good and thinking positive.”
The Chargers kick off their season against Bethel at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3 at French Field.
Kentridge has seven or eight players returning as third-year starters, Osborn said.
“We have a lot of experience and quickness in the backfield,” Osborn said.
The team has also added some new coaches to its staff.
“This is a big year for us,” he said. “I really have a lot of confidence in the kids and the coaches.”
Dave Lutes, Kent School District athletic director, said as far as he knows, Osborn is the district’s longest tenured coach.
Lutes, who has worked for the district for 38 years, said he remembers when Osborn was hired.
“He has just been so steady throughout the years,” Lutes said.
Lutes said Osborn goes above and beyond what is expected of him.
“He does more than just the Xs and Os for program,” he said. “He develops rapport with the parents and the kids.”
‘Quality guy’
Lutes said the district made a good choice hiring Osborn.
“He is just a quality guy on the field and off the field,” Lutes said. “We are proud to have him.”
Osborn said Kentridge has a rich tradition in football, stemming from the Chargers first football coach, Mike Silvey, who lead the 1973 team to a state championship.
“He established the program and built a great foundation for the program,” Osborn said. “He is kind of the legend of Kentridge, one of the best coaches that ever walked the halls.”
Osborn credits his longevity as a coach to the support of his family.
Some of the best memories of his coaching career are “seeing my family up in the stands and giving my wife (Lori) a salute in the stands,” he said.
Osborn said his parents still attend his games. His four daughters grew up around football and Kentridge.
“I remember my daughters riding their bikes around the locker room,” Osborn said.
Osborn said he is fortunate to have played for and worked with coaches who set him up to succeed.
Before coming to Kentridge, Osborn was head coach at Mount Rainer High School for five years. He said his defensive coordinator, Bernie Gibson, was instrumental in helping him through his first few seasons.
“He (Gibson) said, “You be head coach, and I will help you,'” Osborn recalled. “He was a great mentor and helped me keep my head above water.”
Great alumni
Osborn said he has enjoyed watching former players succeed after their high school football days are over. Although he has never produced an NFL player, several have gone on to do well in college.
Kai Ellis, who played for Kentridge in the late 1990s, played football at community college before playing two years at the University of Washington. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers but never played for the team and went on to the CFL.
Another former player, Derrick Roche, received a full-ride scholarship to play football at Washington State University, where he was a three-year starter, a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 player and an All-American lineman.
Brandon Turner, who played for the Chargers in the mid-2000s, has a successful career as a wide receiver for the Naval Academy, and Caleb Smith starts his senior year as a right end with Oregon State this fall.
Osborn said several former players, including Matt Griffith, Steve Fenton and Andy Linscott, have come back as coaches.
“It’s just awesome to have all three of them come back,” he said.
Osborn said it is difficult when players get injured or don’t reach their full potential.
“Some have so much talent and don’t realize it,” he said.
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