By Mike Hutton
Gary Post-Tribune
Youâ??d **** to assume the worst of the Indiana High School Football Hall
of Fame and the coaches who are responsible for approving candidates. So, Iâ??m
going to believe that the reason Griffithâ??s
Russ Radtke isnâ??t in the Hall of Fame is an oversight. A correctable mistake.
He has all the right stuff. At least from a coaching perspective.
There is no one around who is more accomplished.
He is the sixth-winningest active coach in Indiana with a record of 241-96 over 30
years. He won a state title with Griffith
in 1997, and took another team, North Judson, to the final game in 1980.
The Panthers are 93-40 over the last 10 years. His winning percentage of
.740 is the 23rd best in the state over that period of time. His teams are
consistently good.
Why isnâ??t he in when guys such as Mark Hoffman (a deserving member) and
Nick Voris (someone who spent nearly as much time coaching in other states as
he did in Indiana)
have plaques? Hoffman hasnâ??t won a state championship, and Voris was somewhere
else for much of his career.
The simple answer is that he hasnâ??t been nominated in an acceptable
form.
J.D. Morris, the president of the Hall of Fame, said that someone
actually did nominate Radtke this year, but that his nomination was rejected
because the information was incomplete. Morris didnâ??t know the person who sent
in the form.
The sinister answer is that not many people in the coaching fraternity like
Radtke. Once, a coach told me that Radtke doesnâ??t represent the profession
well.
His teams have run up the score in the past. His kids work insanely
hard. He works even harder. Periodically, he has exploded on the sidelines in
ways that are not healthy.
This presumably could work against Radtke. A group of his coaching peers
have to approve the nomination.
Morris, who only sends the nomination forms off to various committees
and has nothing to do with who gets in, says qualified coaches are sometimes
rejected for unknown reasons.
â??It does happen,â? he said.
It would be a shame if it did happen to Radtke.
He has mellowed over the years. He is still intense, but not out of
control.
And, even if heâ??s not the most popular coach around, his kids are absolutely
devoted to him. Just talk to them.
Keeping coaches out of the Hall because theyâ??re not liked devalues the
honor. The point of a Hall of Fame is to have the best coaches in there,
period.
The irony of this is that Radtke doesnâ??t care one way or another whether
he goes. (He didnâ??t return a phone call for this column). I know that about
him. He doesnâ??t coach for the accolades. He is as single-minded and obsessive
as they come.
But it should be a point of pride for Griffith and the community. And all
the players he has coached over the years.
Thatâ??s why it time for someone from Griffith to get the form from the Hall of
Fame and send it on Radtkeâ??s behalf. He deserves the honor.
Contact
Mike Hutton at mhutton@post-trib.com.
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