I hesitate writing this letter, just as I hesitated and finally decided not to attend the Monday night meeting regarding Coach Ogle's status on remaining or being fired as Warsaw Community High School head basketball coach.
I did not attend because of my 85 years of age, my inability to get around and my knowledge that the whole thing was absolutely foolish.
I spent 41 long years at the Times-Union as either the sports editor or the editor. Never did I ever experience a head coach being fired. In fact, it was always my experience to fully support the coach - and there were approximately nine or 10 head coaches during those 41 long years.
Never did a fan or a school board member express the belief that he or she know more about coaching than the coach himself.
I always gave my full support to the coach, even though there naturally were times I probably disagreed with him. All fans have those moments.
I attended virtually all of Warsaw basketball games - mostly home but many away from home - for some 50 straight years until my bad legs caused me to call it quits in the late 1990s.
Then, three years ago, my interest was renewed and I began going to the home games once more. In those three years, I have never seen anything like it. Certain parents telling the coach how to run the team. Constant interference with the coach - much to the detriment of the poor, innocent players.
It was all brought out Monday night and, as expected, a solid trust in Coach Ogle.
All of this has probably caused Warsaw to miss out on another state championship, because they certainly could have won it with the ultra-tall Plumlee brother playing for Warsaw instead of with some prep school in another state.
They definitely would have been stars here in Warsaw, and would have received the same notoriety in the United States' greatest hotbed state - Indiana - and still have received the same collegiate offers as they did by playing elsewhere.
That's it, I guess, except to me Monday night meeting was foolish and uncalled for.
I am only sorry now that I didn't go and express my feelings as so many others did.
Curtis "Gabby" Garber
Warsaw
Editor's Note: While coaches may not have been "fired" during Garber's tenure, they were given a chance to resign before being fired. Specifically, Tiger basketball coach Ike Tallman was asked to resign by then superintendent Max Hobbs in 1976. And that was right after the Tigers won their first regional championship since 1937.
