'No one is more deserving' Harrisburg High honors longtime coach Chuck Ingram

HARRISBURG - One of Illinois' longest-serving high school coaches will ring in the new year with the honor of knowing his school district has named its track and field facility after him.

Charles "Chuck" Ingram coaches Harrisburg High School's cross country and girls track and field teams, but those are just two of the many he's coached since starting his career in the late 1950s. At its final meeting of 2018, the Harrisburg Unit 3 school board voted unanimously to name the track in Ingram's honor.

"After 44 years, it's about time," Ingram joked after the meeting.

But 44 years only reflects the time he's spent at Harrisburg.

"In 1957, I went to work for Cumberland High School in Toledo," Ingram said. "I started out as track coach, and had freshman and sophomore basketball then, too."

He left his first job in 1968 and took a job that same year with Bridgeport High School near Lawrenceville, where he served as head basketball coach and head track coach. He also spent a year there as athletic director. In 1974, he and his wife moved to Harrisburg, where he's coached ever since.

"I started cross country back up. Bill Trees had it, but they had dropped it. I got it started back up and helped Bob Pavelonis with basketball. I also helped Gene Hale in track and took over the head job the next year," Ingram said.

For several years, he was head coach for both the boys' and girls' track programs, he said.

"I had the boys and girls both for a few years. I don't remember how many, now," Ingram said, chuckling. "I quit the boys in 1983 when I took over the girls basketball program. I did cross country, girls basketball and girls track."

Up until just a handful of years ago, that's where Ingram spent the bulk of his coaching career, when he got out of basketball.

He finished his 51st season of coaching cross country this fall, and will start his 62nd season of coaching track and field when the high school girls will begin practices in late February.

To what does he attribute such a long coaching career? Many things, but mostly his wife, Marie, gets the credit.

"My wife knew I wanted to work with young people, and she knew I was going to be gone a lot. We never went on vacation, and she was understanding in that respect," Ingram said. "It helped a lot that we went to a lot of meets. We had lots of friends who also coached whose marriages didn't last. Either they kept coaching or they stayed married. But we hit it off, and she understood."

In fact, his only regret about coaching is time it took away from his family, he said. However, he still is close to and very proud of his son Les Ingram, who teaches at Massac County, and his daughter Renee Williams, a longtime PE teacher at East Side School in Harrisburg.

For Ingram, the reward of coaching is seeing young people learn and succeed.

"Of course, it's always better if you're winning, but that's not the point," he said. "I think it's harder for some students to be successful athletes today. I think there are more difficulties to go through than when I was in school. There are very few bad kids, but sometimes they get a bad rap. I always say if you want to know them, walk in their shoes. Sometimes you'd be really surprised if you knew what their life is like."

Seeing young athletes develop their talents during their four years in high school remains a high point of coaching, Ingram said.

"It's still enjoyable when you get them as freshmen, and they're kind of green, and they learn to really think as they grow, especially when they stay out for a sport all four years. They all become family," he said.

Mike Gauch, the Harrisburg Unit 3 superintendent, said Ingram's work ethic and longevity in coaching speaks volumes about his commitment to Harrisburg schools. It's why he recommended the school board name the track after Ingram.

"Chuck Ingram has spent his career and most of his life coaching high school athletes, helping to mold young people into successful adults," Gauch said. "No one is more deserving of this honor."

Ingram, meanwhile, says he wouldn't have wanted his career to go any other way. It's not something he plans to give up, either.

"When I hate to go to practice or don't want to go, it's time to quit. But I still enjoy working with the kids as much as ever, and I like going to practice," he said. "Any time you can work with kids in any field, you're a step above the rest as far as I'm concerned.

"I couldn't have lived a better life. I'm happy about it, and fortunately, my health's been good. Hopefully, I've helped a few kids on the way."