For over half a century, Ontario Local Schools’ sports programs have been led by his direction, and Phil Giffin continues to fulfill his passion of coaching.
Giffin first entered Ontario Schools in 1961, when he started teaching eighth grade English. Prior to earning that position, he considered becoming a teacher at Madison Middle School; however, he wouldn’t have been able to coach there, and so he looked elsewhere for employment.
“One of the reasons I became a teacher is because I wanted to coach,” he said.
He jumped right into coaching during his first year as a teacher at Ontario by coaching the cross country team. But three years later, the school levy failed and all of the sports except football, basketball, and track and field were cut.
Since he was left without a fall sport to coach, varsity football coach Roger Copeland invited Giffin to coach the eighth grade football team, and Giffin readily accepted his offer.
“I liked it so well and liked working with Copeland so much that I continued my football coaching career until I retired from teaching in 1990.”
In addition to football, Giffin coached the boys’ basketball team for ten years.
Then in 1962, Giffin made a decision that would stick with him for the next 52 years, and counting. He signed up to coach the track and field program.
He first started out as a volunteer with the middle school team, and then took over the program a year later. He kept that up until 1977, when he switched to coaching the distance runners, pole-vaulters, and long-jumpers for the high school team.
Among those he coached was distance runner Toby Fraifogl, who earned the time of 4:19 in the mile and 9:23 in two mile in the state championship, said Giffin. “He was probably the best runner I ever had chance to coach,” he noted.
Giffin continued coaching high school track until 1988, two years before retiring from his teaching position.
In 1990, he was inducted into Ontario Schools’ coaching hall of fame for his excellence in coaching.
Ontario teacher and athletic trainer Kris Knapp attested Giffin’s remarkable coaching by recalling his experience when he participated in track. He said that he broke his leg his freshman year, preventing him from running, so Giffin asked Knapp if he would like to be his “personal assistant.”
“He made me feel that I was as important as everyone else. I was given certain duties and responsibilities, and as I did them, he always complimented me, and anything he asked me to do never went unnoticed by him,” said Knapp.
Giffin’s leadership later encouraged Knapp when he became a teacher and athletic trainer. “I utilize his efforts as an inspiration when I work with kids—he pays attention to detail; he doesn’t get too excited, nor does he get too upset. He disciplines when needed, but more importantly, he praises always. Everyone you talk to states that he is one of the nicest people they know,” said Knapp.
Near the end of his teaching career, Giffin said his curiosity rose at the idea of researching track and field history at Ontario Schools. “I spent the a few years living in the library and researching the track program,” he said.
The fruit of his efforts were twofold: not only did his researching result in a history book detailing the schools’ track program, but it also spurred within him a new fire for coaching.
“While writing the book, I got excited about coaching again,” he said.
Another motivating factor that contributed toward his continuation with coaching was when he spent some morning devotion time with the Lord. During that time, he said he felt like God was encouraging him to keep coaching.
“So I said, ‘Alright, God, I’ll write a letter to Monty Perry, who was middle school principal at the time, saying that if a job were available, I wanted to be the middle school assistant track coach.’ And three days after I wrote the letter, I got the job,” he said.
Giffin served as assistant coach for 14 years, and his beaming enthusiasm for coaching caught peoples’ attention. Distance runner Cassie Taylor, who participated in the middle school track program from 2003-2004, stated, “It is astonishing to me how much Coach Giffin has been devoted to the track program at Ontario. Despite his age and years spent involved in the sport, he never lost his vigor and passion for track and athletes. He brought enthusiasm and wisdom to each of our practices and never ceased to challenge us to be a better competitor and person.”
In 2004 Giffin became co-coaches of the track team with Maureen Johnson. “We worked together beautifully and had a great time,” Giffin said.
The pair enjoyed coaching together so much that they coached the middle school cross country program together from 2006-2008, and then the high school team from 2009-2013.
Recollecting the first year of coaching middle school cross country, Giffin said, “That almost turned into a disaster. There were summer practices when we would have one person show up. I was discouraged, but Maureen kept encouraging me. I lived in her optimism, and sure enough, the next season we ended up with the best middle school cross country team in history of Ontario. In the conference meet we took six out of the top seven places,” he said.
This coming cross country season marks the end of an era, as Giffin noted that he will not be coaching the program anymore. “Cross country requires so much running, even for coaches. At least with track you’re typically in one spot. I hate to give up coaching [cross country], but physically I can’t hack it anymore,” he explained.
He said he hopes to use the extra free time in the summer and fall by visiting family. With his wife Elmeda, he has two children, Tim Giffin and Cathy Cook, 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren.
While he may not be running around cross country courses anymore, he still enjoys walking on his treadmill and taking trips around his neighborhood, walking on average about four miles.
“I’ve always liked running,” Giffin said.
When he was in middle school at Brecksville, he joined the track team and continued running in high school and later at Oberlin College.
Giffin also participated in a number of 5K and 10K races. “I considered doing a marathon one day, but I like to run for pleasure, not for torture,” he said with a laugh.
One of his favorite running experiences, he said, was when he was running with his son. “We were running down Millsboro Road, and it dawned on me that we were sprinting. We were on a running high; it was a fantastic feeling.”
Although he doesn’t intend to coach cross country anymore, he hopes to keep coaching track “for as long as the school will have me,” he stated.
“It is astonishing to me how much Coach Giffin has been devoted to the track program at Ontario. He brought enthusiasm and wisdom to each of our practices and never ceased to challenge us to be a better competitor and person,” said distance runner Cassie Taylor.
