Ohio's Winningest Coach - Top 4

[YOU'RE TIGER BAIT]

AGREED , AND THANKS FOR HELPING PEOPLE REALIZE WE ARE KNOWN NATIONWIDE. I HAVE A BUDDY WHO WAS IN THE SERVICE IN TEXAS, YEARS AGO. AND THEY AIRED , LIVE IRONTON VS. CAPE. MUCH LIKE WE SEE LIVE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL GAMES HERE. THANKS FOR THE BACKUP.

[loyaldevilfan]

Good Luck Coach Lutz....

[Tigercannon71]

Black dont be ignorant everybody knows Coach Lutz got a raw deal in that whole episode. If it wasnt for the powers that be going on a power trip Coach Lutz might have broke the record last year. He might have even had another state title added to that impressive resume with that team that Triplett got.

One secret to Coach Lutz's success is having great assisstants like Burcham, Sheridan, Fogelsong, Lewis, and others around him. Another secret is beng able to get the most out of his players. He knows how to use what he has even when he doesnt have much. I cant wait for him to break that record.

[gotigers]

lutz was retired and now came back just to break a record. look at me.
they ran off a good coach in triplett who is undefeated at west. amazing what you can do when you have the support of administration and community.

You are wrong about Lutz; he is not that way. If you think so, then you do not know the man at all!

You are right about the right support and the success of Triplett. Congrats to Merrill and hope he wins a state title at West!

GO TIGERS!!!

[someoverkill]

Black and Blue, I don't know why you bring the Triplett thing up? Merrill is in a good situation. He chose to leave, he was not ran out of town. If coach Lutz wants to coach at Ironton he should. He has earned the right to do that. My gosh, the man has won nearly 10 games a year, during his career. How many coaches in America have done that? I say, like other posters on here, root for both coaches and teams. West is D5 and ironton is D4. We will not play each other. Let's both make a deep run in the playoffs!

[gotigers]

Black and Blue, I don't know why you bring the Triplett thing up? Merrill is in a good situation. He chose to leave, he was not ran out of town. If coach Lutz wants to coach at Ironton he should. He has earned the right to do that. My gosh, the man has won nearly 10 games a year, during his career. How many coaches in America have done that? I say, like other posters on here, root for both coaches and teams. West is D5 and ironton is D4. We will not play each other. Let's both make a deep run in the playoffs!

Yeah! What he said. ... and they are both orange and black.

GO TIGERS!!!

[loyaldevilfan]

lutz was retired and now came back just to break a record. look at me.
they ran off a good coach in triplett who is undefeated at west. amazing what you can do when you have the support of administration and community.

From my understanding Tripplett left Ironton.....And Lutz was approached about the coaching job..From my understanding Lutz wasn't going to come back...Lutz didn't care about the record..IF he did why did he retire or take a few years off...And Actually Triplett is a good guy but IMO isn't the best coach...He didn't do real well at River Valley, and I am still on the fence about Ironton...Don't get me wrong he is a very smart man when it comes to football but you have to look at the record...I think it was a win, win situation for both programs...and I hope Lutz does get the record...I tell you thi much for a FACT...There will be NO comments of "Oh Look at ME"...Not Lut's style....but there will be plenty of people noticing his accomplishment....

[Boonedawg]

Your understanding is wrong, coach T left because Lutz wanted to come back. Your also wrong on weather Triplett is a good coach, but I'll just leave that to the opinions of kids who know him and have played for him.

I for one would love to see West and Ironton strap it up. pretty close styles of smash mouth football and kids on both sides willing to walk thru a brick wall for their respective coaches.

Hell, I'd buy a plane ticket to see that one.

[trojandave]

We may never see another coach like Bob Lutz......the years that he has been at Ironton, the amazing win totals, the playoff appearances and state titles, will certainly not be superseded by anyone in SE Ohio.

Before he started coaching at Ironton, the Tigers were an up and down program that struggled to maintain any winning consistency. Of course being in the Central Ohio League for a number of years made the task even more difficult.....but everything took a turn for the better when Bob Lutz arrived in 1971(1970?). He took that same program and built it into a football machine, churning out 10 win seasons year after year after year. With it came SEOAL titles, playoff games, regional titles, state championship game appearances......culminating in 2 state championships. Never before had IHS had this kind of success........the name Ironton rang throughout the state as a football power.......a small Southeastern Ohio town that ate, slept, and drank football.......24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year........football never became a boring topic......even in April or May.

Not only did Coach Lutz produce winning team after winning team, he also saw quite a few of his players go on to play at the collegiate level......a good number at the D1 level. College coaches soon learned after Bob Lutz took over the Ironton program that his kids were disciplined, fundamentally sound, and had the character of gridiron winners.

When(not if) Bob Lutz breaks the all time win record for coaches in the state of Ohio, I hope the city of Ironton honors him in a very special way. For what he has done and meant to Ironton High School and the city, he deserves it.

[gotigers]

We may never see another coach like Bob Lutz......the years that he has been at Ironton, the amazing win totals, the playoff appearances and state titles, will certainly not be superseded by anyone in SE Ohio.

Before he started coaching at Ironton, the Tigers were an up and down program that struggled to maintain any winning consistency. Of course being in the Central Ohio League for a number of years made the task even more difficult.....but everything took a turn for the better when Bob Lutz arrived in 1971(1970?). He took that same program and built it into a football machine, churning out 10 win seasons year after year after year. With it came SEOAL titles, playoff games, regional titles, state championship game appearances......culminating in 2 state championships. Never before had IHS had this kind of success........the name Ironton rang throughout the state as a football power.......a small Southeastern Ohio town that ate, slept, and drank football.......24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year........football never became a boring topic......even in April or May.

Not only did Coach Lutz produce winning team after winning team, he also saw quite a few of his players go on to play at the collegiate level......a good number at the D1 level. College coaches soon learned after Bob Lutz took over the Ironton program that his kids were disciplined, fundamentally sound, and had the character of gridiron winners.

When(not if) Bob Lutz breaks the all time win record for coaches in the state of Ohio, I hope the city of Ironton honors him in a very special way. For what he has done and meant to Ironton High School and the city, he deserves it.

Very good stuff trojandave... There is one nice guy in Portsmouth after all

GO TIGERS!!!

[loyaldevilfan]

Your understanding is wrong, coach T left because Lutz wanted to come back. Your also wrong on weather Triplett is a good coach, but I'll just leave that to the opinions of kids who know him and have played for him.

I for one would love to see West and Ironton strap it up. pretty close styles of smash mouth football and kids on both sides willing to walk thru a brick wall for their respective coaches.

Hell, I'd buy a plane ticket to see that one.

I have about 30 guys who played for him at River Valley who will back my opinion.....But like you said it is opinion.....

[loyaldevilfan]

We may never see another coach like Bob Lutz......the years that he has been at Ironton, the amazing win totals, the playoff appearances and state titles, will certainly not be superseded by anyone in SE Ohio.

Before he started coaching at Ironton, the Tigers were an up and down program that struggled to maintain any winning consistency. Of course being in the Central Ohio League for a number of years made the task even more difficult.....but everything took a turn for the better when Bob Lutz arrived in 1971(1970?). He took that same program and built it into a football machine, churning out 10 win seasons year after year after year. With it came SEOAL titles, playoff games, regional titles, state championship game appearances......culminating in 2 state championships. Never before had IHS had this kind of success........the name Ironton rang throughout the state as a football power.......a small Southeastern Ohio town that ate, slept, and drank football.......24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year........football never became a boring topic......even in April or May.

Not only did Coach Lutz produce winning team after winning team, he also saw quite a few of his players go on to play at the collegiate level......a good number at the D1 level. College coaches soon learned after Bob Lutz took over the Ironton program that his kids were disciplined, fundamentally sound, and had the character of gridiron winners.

When(not if) Bob Lutz breaks the all time win record for coaches in the state of Ohio, I hope the city of Ironton honors him in a very special way. For what he has done and meant to Ironton High School and the city, he deserves it.

Very Classy Post!!!! Very Well Said..

[Boonedawg]

Your understanding is wrong, coach T left because Lutz wanted to come back. Your also wrong on weather Triplett is a good coach, but I'll just leave that to the opinions of kids who know him and have played for him.

I for one would love to see West and Ironton strap it up. pretty close styles of smash mouth football and kids on both sides willing to walk thru a brick wall for their respective coaches.

Hell, I'd buy a plane ticket to see that one.

I have about 30 guys who played for him at River Valley who will back my opinion.....But like you said it is opinion.....

You "have" them?....what with a side of taters and some peas?

[tigermack]

Just I was sitting in the Shoe a few years back, about to watch an Ohio State game and they had listed on the Jumbotron, the coaches to be inducted into the High School Hall of Fame that year and Ironton's Bob Lutz was one of those coaches. Dave Lucas of Coal Grove was another. What an honor for these men.

Too bad about Lucas. That just cheapens it for everyone else. If they let HIM in, what dirt-bag can't get admitted?

Now that was classless. First of all, I am from Ironton but I happen to know Dave Lucas very well and he is a class act.

Good luck, Bob.

[someoverkill]

I agree that was a very classless comment. Coach Lucas has won everywhere he has gone. He certainly did a few things at Wellston that they hadnt seen in a while. A great High school football player and a great high school footb all coach. he also did alot for the OHSAA Coaches association, as their president.
These are two very deserving Hall of Famers!

I persoanlly think more coaches should gain the hall. I would like to see coaches who were both head and assistant coaches get in. Pat Sheridan was a top notch coach. He taught fundamentals until you did it right. Be it baseball or football, the guy could flat out coach the game. Once was the head coach of baseball, football and basketball at Ironton St Joe, at one time. Try doing that.

[tigermack]

someoverkill,

I agree, Pat Sheridan is definitely a good candidate for the hall of fame....a great man and a great coach.

[Knowbody]

I agree that was a very classless comment. Coach Lucas has won everywhere he has gone. He certainly did a few things at Wellston that they hadnt seen in a while. A great High school football player and a great high school footb all coach. he also did alot for the OHSAA Coaches association, as their president.
.

Let's just say I've seen some things, as has my buddy Ricky, that would lead me to disagree with your assesment of his character. But, as that type of honesty and candor seems to be unappreciated and somewhat frowned upon around here, we will agree to disagree.

Lutz is the man. He deserves respect and admiration, as well as the hall of fame.

[osu 77]

[quote="tigercannon71"]Black dont be ignorant everybody knows Coach Lutz got a raw deal in that whole episode. If it wasnt for the powers that be going on a power trip Coach Lutz might have broke the record last year. He might have even had another state title added to that impressive resume with that team that Triplett got.

One secret to Coach Lutz's success is having great assisstants like Burcham, Sheridan, Fogelsong, Lewis, and others around him. Another secret is beng able to get the most out of his players. He knows how to use what he has even when he doesnt have much. I cant wait for him to break that record.[/quo

What I have heard from the Tiger Fans this is one of the most talented teams they have had in years and what is their record? Also Ironton is playing a much easier schedule than they had 2 years ago. To say they would have won the state is hard for the Tiger Fans to swallow.

[westbrook18]

It seems like Lutz is pretty old school but it must win games. I have read that people disagree with his play calling this year. No disrespect to him but a Hall of Fame coach should be able to change up the offense when his old and trusty offense isn't working.