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| Tuesday, February 9, 2010 |
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Esslinger gets Hall of Fame nod
Published November 19, 2009
It’s been quite a week for Scottsboro cross country coach John Esslinger.
On Saturday, his girls team won their ninth straight Class 5A cross country state championship.
Another honor came on Tuesday when Esslinger was notified that he had been chosen to be inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the induction class of 2010.
“I was really surprised,” Esslinger said. “It’s a big honor. I was kind of at a loss for words when they told me. I was emotional and didn’t really know what to say.”
The 20th class of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame will be inducted during a ceremony some time next year.
Esslinger is one of the state’s most accomplished coaches in any sport, winning a combined 41 state championships since 1991 in boys and girls cross country, outdoor track and indoor track.
The girls cross country program has won 16 state titles, while the boys have won nine. Esslinger’s indoor track teams won eight state titles (five boys, three girls) and his outdoor track teams also won eight state championships (four boys, four girls).
“It’s really a tribute to the kids and the programs,” Esslinger said. “We’ve had a lot of great athletes, great kids, that have come through. A lot of them have attributed success later in life to being part of the programs, and that’s really an honor for any coach to hear.”
Esslinger has spent his entire coaching career at Scottsboro.
He began teaching at SHS in 1972, then left the field from 1980-1985 before returning to education. He became the school’s boys track and field coach that season and became the girls’ track coach for in 1988. Esslinger coached those teams through 2006.
Esslinger started the school’s cross country program in 1988, launching one of the state’s most dominant sports programs in any sport.
“That’s something I’ve cherished,” Esslinger said, “that I got to start the program at Scottsboro and build it and keep it going.”
Most coaches are inducted after their retirement, but ones with more than 30 years of service to an AHSAA member school is eligible for induction.
Esslinger thanked those who wrote nomination letters, including Alan Garner, and made calls on his behalf.
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