As the days approach for students and staff to say their goodbyes to former football coach Kevin Hirst, on Friday, Jan. 31, stories of his time working and coaching unravel, like the start of Hirst’s journey.
“I have been in the district prior to coming to Mac; I coached at Churchill for six years,” Hirst said. “Way before that, I was coaching at Marshall in 2000 when we had a game with MacArthur in the fourth round of the playoffs and the thing that caught my eye was that for the entire game, the MacArthur side never sat down; they were loud and the bleachers were packed. I remember thinking at the end of the game that someday I hope to work in that community,”
Coach Hirst’s retirement announcement took many parents, students, and faculty by surprise.
“I was a little surprised and a little shocked,” senior and football/baseball player JT Gray said. “I was also upset but understanding. He was one of my coaches for positions so I got to know him quite well for these last four years.”
Hirst felt like he had to make a tough decision.
“Number one: I’m eligible for retiring. [Though] the biggest reason, nothing negative on the MacArthur community, I think I’ve hit a point. Y’know typically at the end of the season [I] take a little time to reflect and get some new ideas and new things to implement, but when I took some time off at the end of the season, none of that was popping into my head. When I went to Thanksgiving break, I came back still exhausted and with no new ideas, so I think it’s just time. A lot of energy and hours have gone or go into this job and I think it was a sign for me to just step away.”
Many are left wondering what Coach Hirst plans to do after he finishes off the rest of his days here, and so is Hirst himself.
“I’m not good at handling idle time sitting around, I like being busy, so the plan is: I love the outdoors so I have some property which I’ll spend some time there in February but my goal is by March, I have a part-time job lined up, so [it’s] something to keep me busy,” Hirst said. “I [also] have two kids in college right now and my wife is retired, so I’m just looking forward to spending time with my family. I missed out on a lot just because of the demands of this position. My son, and I, share a lot of the same interests so I’m looking forward to more hunting and fishing trips but I’m also kind of looking forward to being a fan, y’know, and getting a chance to step back and not so much of the time and energy spent on planning and organizing and I’m kind of anxious to see what it’s like to sit in the bleachers for a little bit.”
Hirst created a second home for many student-athletes throughout his career.
“He taught me a lot about the game, and not just about the game [but] about life,” Gray says. “He’s helped me out a lot in the last four years, so I just say, thank you.”
Before a new chapter of Coach Hirst’s story begins, the coach is grateful to the community.
“It has been an unbelievable experience, lots of great memories,” Hirst said. “It didn’t take me very long after coming here to realize that this is where I wanted my career to end; everybody’s so friendly. I just got a chance to grow and everybody thinks it’s just a school- it’s not. It’s the community. It’s the interaction with the parents. It’s everything. I’m just very grateful for the opportunity to spend the last eleven years here. I’m gonna miss it and miss the people, whether it’s students, parents, or faculty. That’s who makes it up, y’know? It has been fun. Obviously, I’m going to miss the athletes and at some point, I’ll miss the coaching. [We] had some good seasons when I first got here; we took three trips to the playoffs and I know we’ve struggled here but I had the opportunity to coach some amazing kids. I step away with my head held high, no regrets. No regrets.”
