He won 163 games as the head coach of the Fort Vancouver football team.
More importantly to Gary Boggs, he earned the love and respect of thousands of players, parents, fans, and fellow teachers in his 34-year career.
Friday evening, Vancouver Public Schools will show its appreciation to Boggs’ family by dedicating the field at Kiggins Bowl in the coach’s name. Gary Boggs died in April after a battle with cancer. He was 69.
“Kiggins Bowl represented a specific place where he used his tools to make men out of football players,” Fort Vancouver athletic director John Griffin said.
Ellen Boggs, Gary’s wife of 34 years, and other family members and close friends will be escorted to the field for the ceremony at halftime of Fort’s game against Ridgefield. The game kicks off at 5 p.m.
Griffin said he would love to get the word out to all former Trappers to make it to the game and ceremony.
Mick Hoffman, the athletic director for Vancouver Public Schools, said it is a proper tribute to a man who dedicated so much to one school for so many decades.
“Too often, coaches are trying to find a place where they can win, rather than winning where they’re at,” Hoffman said. “He won a lot of games early at Fort. As the school changed and other schools opened, he kept teaching (the Fort) kids how to be men. He did that on and off the field. He was always that father figure.”
Hoffman noted that Eric Ollikainen, Fort’s new coach, played for Boggs. There are several other coaches in Southwest Washington who also played for or coached with Boggs.
“His influence will not only go his 34 years, but for years and years to come,” Hoffman said. “It’s critical for our coaches to know we’re not looking at how many games you’ve won. We’re looking to see if they can teach kids. In the end, no one’s going to care about how many wins you have. They’re going to care about many lives you’ve impacted.”
One of his children, Brad Boggs, made note of that to The Columbian on the evening of his father’s death.
“Wherever I’ve been, when running into any old Trapper from the 1970s, ’80s or ’90s, I never heard one person say a negative thing about my dad,” Brad Boggs said.
