Column by Jim LeMonds

For The Daily News

CASTLE ROCK — When I was a kid growing up in Castle Rock during the 1950s and ’60s, I never missed a home basketball game. I dreamed of wearing the red-and-white and playing for Rocket coach Floyd LeBaron.

I got that chance during the 1967 and ’68 seasons. Those two years remain memorable for me — not only because my teammates and I formed a deep and lasting bond, but also because Coach LeBaron set an example that has influenced my entire life.

His death on Wednesday, at 86, left a hole in the heart of Rocket Nation that will never be filled.

Coach used to tell us, “Be a humble winner and a gracious loser.”

During his 21-year run as the Rockets’ head coach, his players had far more opportunities to be humble than gracious.

From 1953 to 1974, his teams went 340-157, winning 10 league titles. They qualified for district 17 times and made 11 trips to the state tournament, placing sixth in 1954, seventh in 1957 and 1965, and first in 1969.

LeBaron was inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1985.

But statistics can’t tell the story of a man who believed unconditionally in selflessness, integrity, preparation and hard work. Above all else, Coach LeBaron did his best to teach boys how to be men. And in many cases, he succeeded. He cared about us as players, but he cared about us as people first and foremost.

Coach was a John Wooden advocate, and he walked the walk. Fundamentals, team play and defense came first. He believed in doing things “the right way,” on and off the court. Our practices were structured down to the minute, with focus on passing, defense, rebounding and free-throw shooting. You took your Vitamin C and E pills, and wore your stocking hat after you showered.

Whether it was game-planning or special situations, Coach was always prepared. If we were down by two with six seconds left, he’d draw up a play that would give us a chance.

When you respect someone, you don’t want to let him down. As a player, you knew it didn’t matter who your dad was or whether you’d been a bench-warmer on the sixth-grade team. If you worked hard and could contribute, Coach had a place for you.

Opposing coaches and officials remember him as a gentleman. Running up the score on a hapless opponent would have been dishonorable, disrespectful and shameful. He didn’t tolerate taunting or trash-talk, and he didn’t practice them. He drew one technical foul in a 497-game career.

Coach never belittled his players. Never used fear or intimidation to make a point. That said, he had high expectations and would let you know if you weren’t meeting them. I’ve never met anyone who could get as much mileage out of a “Holy cow!” or “Gee whiz!” as Floyd LeBaron.

Human beings are innately selfish. Project that selfishness onto a group of 17- and 18-year-olds, and it’s easy to understand why getting them to buy in to “team first” can be difficult. But Coach had a way of making you believe — in him, the program and yourself. And once you believed, you were willing to forget about your scoring average and focus on doing what it took to win.

The connection between fanatical defense and winning tradition has never been more evident than during LeBaron’s tenure at the Rock. In 18 of his 21 seasons, the Rockets ranked first in the Trico League in scoring defense.

“Shots don’t always fall,” he liked to say, “but you can make up for a lot of things with defense. Because defense is about pride and mental toughness.”

LeBaron grew up in Centralia, where he was a three-sport athlete. He taught and coached at Concrete from 1947 to 1952 before taking over for Ted Hippi at Castle Rock, where he was also a teacher and counselor.

He was a lifelong believer in physical fitness and was still ratcheting off 100 push-ups and sit-ups a day when he was in his early 80s. He had amazing hand-eye coordination and was an accomplished golfer.

Despite his failing health, when I visited Coach LeBaron several years ago all he could talk about was how lucky he was to have been the coach of the Rockets.

“I had wonderful kids,” he said. “We were successful because they were great competitors and because they respected each other, and were willing to work so hard.”

We were the lucky ones, Coach.

We love you. And we won’t forget.

Jim LeMonds is a freelance writer who lives in Castle Rock. Former Rocket players and fans are encouraged to send their remembrances of Coach LeBaron to him at jim@writeteknorthwest.com

Memorial Service

A memorial service for Floyd LeBaron will be held at noon on Tuesday (Nov. 17) at the St. Paul Lutheran Church, 312 1st Ave. SW, in Castle Rock.

On Floyd LeBaron …

Comments from former players on Coach Floyd LeBaron, who passed away Wednesday at 86:

Jim Hansch (1956): “Coach was a real competitor and a real inspiration to me. I’ve always thought the world of him.”

Steve Hansen (1957): “When you played for Coach LeBaron, you hustled your butt off. He was all about discipline, fundamentals, playing as a team and working hard.”

Jim Burgoyne (1959): “I wonder how many other hall-of-fame basketball coaches can say they never had a technical foul called on themselves, or never uttered a curse word in front of their players. Coach not only talked the talk, he walked the walk.”

Bill Moore (1960): “Coach made you study your opponents and know everything about them. He also did a good job of working on the half-court game, both offense and defense. He was lucky to have a lot of great players when he was at Castle Rock, but we were lucky to have him, too.”

Bob Chastain (1962): “I don’t remember much about the games we won and lost, the Trico championships, the district championships or the trips to the state tournament. What I remember are the values he taught. Those values are what a man stands for in life.”

Richard McBride (1962): “Mr. LeBaron — and that’s the way I still think of him — instilled values, not by preaching, but more by example and the way he taught, coached and lived his life. He encouraged us to be the best we could be in whatever we did.”

Wayne Lovingfoss (1963): “I think one of the reasons we did so well my senior year was because of Coach LeBaron and the Castle Rock tradition. People expected you to win, and you started believing you would.”

Mal Rose (1963): “I couldn’t shoot a jump shot, but Coach LeBaron taught me that offense didn’t matter that much. He said that if our guy didn’t score, we were going to win.”

Sam Cooley (1969): “We loved the man. He expected the best out of his players and received it, because we respected him and wanted to play hard for him.”

Rob Andrew (1969): “Coach was a proponent of discipline, fundamentals and a strong work ethic. He was a great leader and inspired us all to do our best.”

Dean Schwinn (1970): “Everybody wanted to play for Coach LeBaron. He was The Man.”

Jim Andrew (1971): “He taught us respect. Respect for the game, respect for the officials, respect for the opponent, respect for our teammates and — most of all — respect for ourselves. The last thing you wanted to do was let him down.”

Mike Berndt (1971): “Coach was always able to remain a gentleman and maintain the highest standards of civility, even in the most adverse and unfair of circumstances.”

Dave LeMonds (1972): “Floyd was always a class act. He epitomized what I think a coach should be — hard-working, fair, focused, competitive, disciplined and a great role model for his players.”