Coach Hogan to be honored
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Anyone that has ever been to a Charles Henderson baseball game may have noticed the “Hogan’s Hole” sign facing the entrance.
The reason the field has the nickname is because of the man that roamed the home dugout between the years from 1977 to 1990 – Mike Hogan.
During his time as the Trojans’ head coach, Hogan did things few coaches ever did.
He finished with an overall record of 237-83, a winning percentage of .740.
He took CHHS to the state playoffs nine different times, advancing to the state finals three of those seasons: 1979, 1980 and 1983.
CHHS won eight Area championships under his watch and 37 players went on to sign scholarships at the collegiate level.
Also during that time, Hogan coached the football team for 21 years, helping the Trojans to a state championship in 1980.
At the end of this school year, Hogan will be retiring from his current job as the Agriculture teacher at CHHS, where he has been teaching for 35 years.
In celebration of his career at CHHS, a few of his friends, from on and off the field, are having a dinner in his honor.
“I really don’t know what to expect,” Hogan said about the dinner. “It’s very humbling, but I am not sure if I really deserve it.
“I have had so many fond memories at the school.”
Dan Smith, a former player under Hogan, is helping put together the dinner that will be taking place at 7 p.m. at the CHHS cafeteria on Saturday night.
“The impact coach Hogan had on his players and the kids in the classroom is truly insurmountable.
“He has done so much for so many people,” he said.
Smith’s senior season was the coach’s first.
Going into that season, Hogan was the fourth coach in four years for the Trojans.
Another one of Hogan’s former players, Ed Black, said he will never forget the years he played under the legendary coach.
“He taught me what it took and meant to be a part of a great team,” Black said.
Black’s senior year, 1983, was also the year the Trojans advanced to the state championship game for the second time.
“Unfortunately, we lost. But I was very fortunate to play under coach Hogan,” he said.
While he didn’t play for Hogan, CHHS principal David Helms has been a colleague of Hogan for several years.
“Not only was he a great coach, but he was a really great teacher,” Helms said.
“He taught life lessons in his classes. He taught his students how to do the right thing”
“We still have people come by all the time and say how he has touched their lives. He is one of the best we have and has done a wonderful job,” the principal added.