It was a cold, snowy November night. The Flathead Braves were playing the CMR Rustlers in the 1980 AA football championship game. The Braves’ head coach stood on the sidelines and watched his team turn the ball over during its first two possessions leading to CMR scores. The Braves were shut out as CMR went on to become AA champions 25-0, bringing to an end the best season Flathead has seen since their 1970 championship season. The coach was current FHS Activities Director Gene Boyle, and the end of that game brought the beginning of an 18-year coaching hiatus. “What I remember is the togetherness in the locker room,” said Boyle. “We knew that we shared a lot together and had a great year.” Despite the disappointing end to one of Flathead football’s best seasons, former players have carried away fond memories of playing under Boyle. “The game was a special game because we knew it was coach Boyle’s last year,” said former player Duane Hamzel, now a podiatrist living in Kalispell. “He was a good motivator. He really made the season for us.” This spring marks the first time in almost two decades that Boyle will coach a varsity sport. But while Boyle stood on the sidelines for five years, his new coaching position will be in the dugout. Boyle will coach the Bravette softball team. “I talked to some of our young coaches,” said Boyle. “I got to thinking of how much I would enjoy it, and after visiting with some friends about my past coaching experience in baseball I thought, geez, I’d love to coach again.” The decision didn’t come easily to Boyle. He had to talk to his wife and family before he could commit to anything. “After a lot of thought, (and) talking it over with my wife, I decided to apply for the job,” said Boyle. “This (coaching) job kind of opened at a time that I still really loved to coach. I knew it was the best thing for my family.” “I thought it (coaching) would be good for him,” said Barbara Boyle. “I wasn’t surprised because he loves working with kids and I thought he’d really enjoy it.” Principal Gary Martin and vice principal Peter Fusaro had the final say in the decision of making Boyle the new coach. “It wasn’t a real long interview,” said Martin of Boyle. “We’re really pleased that he decided to do it.” Boyle has been coaching for most of his career, covering sports from track to basketball to football to baseball. He also played football, basketball, track and baseball in high school “People that I coached with give me a hard time that I still don’t have coaching out of my blood,” said Boyle. “For me it was hard to leave because things were going so well.” Despite the woes of ‘97, a season in which the Bravettes finished with only one win, some players are looking forward to having Boyle as a coach and are very optimistic about this year. “I think it’s going to be cool,” said junior Lissy Palmer. “He’s got a lot of new ideas and he knows a lot about the game.” Even with all his coaching experience, Boyle can’t make any predictions about the season. “I don’t really know what to expect,” said Boyle. “We have all the girls back but one, plus we’ve got some that were hurt last year . Hopefully, if everyone stays healthy, we can have a good year.” “Nobody expects anything from us,” said senior Darcy James. “All we can do is prove people wrong. We have nothing to lose.” Boyle said he sees two factors to having a successful season: “Our key is going to be how our second and third-string pitchers come along. Another key is going to be finding kids that can hit the ball.” Regardless of this season’s outcome, Martin feels that Boyle was a great choice for the job, adding: “He’s got excellent rapport with the kids and he treats people with a mutual respect. I think that he absolutely loves Flathead High and Flathead kids.” |
