Oswego, Hinckley will miss retiring coaches

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COMMENTARY

For more than 30 years Oswego's Lee Anger and Hinckley-Big Rock's Dan Wallenberg have been the epitome of a wing man.

Someone who is always there and has your back.

Both have spent hours teaching skills, logging statistics, dealing with overzealous parents and the list goes on and on -- ...all under the guise of assistant coach.

Never once -- OK, maybe they did for just a second -- think about moving on to another school district where they could be commander and chief.

"It was a good program," Wallenberg said, "and we [former head coach Larry Peppers and Wallenberg] meshed."

Many times, assistant coaches are the ones paying attention to detail -- things like how many timeouts have been called, shots on goal, technique training and so on -- while the head coach focuses on the "big picture."

It is these nuances that have made Anger, a track and field coach, and Wallenberg, a soccer coach, invaluable assets to their schools' athletic programs.

"No head coach can explain the value of the assistant," said Hinckley-Big Rock athletic director Bill Sambrookes.

And why they will be missed.

"You lose 30 years of coaching," Sambrookes said. "That's hard to replace."

Both are retiring from coaching and teaching, Anger looks forward to visiting Scotland and Wallenberg plans on spending hours playing grandpa.

"I'm ready for it," Wallenberg said.

Over the years, both have helped cultivate state-caliber athletes. Last week, Anger's last charge -- Martin King -- took home a fourth-place medal at the IHSA finals in the 300-meter hurdles.

"It was a great retirement gift," Anger said of King's performance. "He is a special athlete."

Both coaches have been lauded for their ability to work with teenagers.

"He knew when to get excited and when to relax," Sambrookes said of Wallenberg.

Former H-BR soccer player Rich McQueen (Class of 1990) of Florence, Ky., remembered, "He earned a lot of respect because he always treated us fairly and like adults."

Oswego athletic director Steve McInerney said, "Lee is a role model."

Both Anger and Wallenberg have watched as their small farming communities have grown into suburban sprawl and have witnessed the growth of their programs and sports over the past three decades.

Wallenberg joined the H-BR staff a few years after the school took up soccer. Back in the 1970's, most local schools did not play soccer, so finding teams to play was a bit difficult. The Royals would frequently visit schools like New Trier and Evanston for games.

"We played a lot of larger schools," said the retiring Class A coach.

And while both coaches are looking forward to retirement, both will miss working with the athletic staffs and kids that made it all possible.

"It's been a lot of fun," Anger said. "I have worked with a great group of people. It did not seem like work."

Along with Anger, Oswego is losing two other mainstays.

Panthers soccer coach Margaret Fehrenbacher and former softball coach Fred Miller are also retiring from coaching, but will remain as educators.

Fehrenbacher retires after leading the Panthers to a regional championship appearance last month.

"She put our program on the map," McInerney said. "She taught the kids to never quit and to try their best."

Miller, who remained as an assistant coach this season to help first-year coach Lindsay Hejtmanek, has been with the program for 24 years.

"He taught us the fundamentals and to have fun at the same time," said Diane Hettinger-Bybee (Class of 1987) of Cartersville. "He is by far the best coach I ever played for."