Big George Trtan Passes On

George Trtan, football coach, big bear of a man, and a generous, enriching human being from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, died at age 71. Knew him and his family in high school; sorry to hear from my father that Big George is leaving us so early.

No postings until Monday here; want to mark the passing of a geniune human being.
- MAL

Trtan's legacy extends far beyond gridiron

by Gary Clausius

Former Fond du Lac football coach George Trtan was a big, barrel-chested mountain of a man whose intimidating size belied a gentle and thoughtful demeanor.

Trtan died Tuesday at age 71 after a brief battle with cancer and news of his sudden death stunned his former colleagues and players.

"George Trtan was, without a doubt, one of the classiest guys I've known," said Jim Bond who played for the Cardinals when Trtan was an assistant in the 1960s and followed him as head coach in 1981. "He was a great teacher and, of course, a mentor."

Commonly referred to as "Big George," Trtan led the Cardinals to a pair of Fox River Valley Conference titles during his six seasons at the helm from 1975-80 and had an overall 36-15 record. He was a longtime assistant coach at Goodrich High School under coach Jim Johnson.

His impact, however, reached much further than championships and wins and losses.

"The guy was a tremendous human being who had a big influence on a lot of people. … This is a great loss," said a clearly shaken Dick Diener, who played football when Trtan was an assistant and taught in the same social studies department with him at Goodrich High School.

Although he held what is likely the most visible sports position in Fond du Lac, coaching isn't the first thing that many think of when Trtan's name comes up in conversation. Words like decency and thoughtfulness come to mind.

"He was a guy who you never wanted to let down. I don't think I ever had a coach I respected more than George Trtan," said local sports radio personality Bob Hoffmaster, an honorable mention all-state quarterback on the coach's 1979 FRVC champion team.

Trtan was a true "player's coach" who was fiercely loyal to his former charges, often helping them out in the years after they played football. Hoffmaster recalled how Trtan offered him unsolicited guidance when he was considering a career in teaching.

One didn't have to be a former player to receive a thoughtful note from Trtan. A card arrived at The Reporter from him when I was named sports editor in 1990 with a handwritten note that said: "Good things happen to good people. Best to you — George Trtan."

As a coach he was quietly a peer of larger-than-life football personalities in Fond du Lac. He took the Cardinal coaching reins from the iconic Johnson, who led Fondy to a pair of wire-service state championships. He turned the program over to Bond, a local hero as a Goodrich player and the coach of the school's 1987 state titlists. And at St. Mary's Springs, Bob Hyland was embarking on a career that would make him Wisconsin's winningest high school football coach of all time.

"I don't think people realize what a great coach he was," Hoffmaster said. "He followed 'The Jaw' (Johnson) and Bond has the state title and Bob Hyland wins state titles every year. I really don't think George takes a back seat to any of them."

Trtan's two most memorable victories as coach of the Cardinals were big comebacks. Fondy rebounded from a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat heavily favored Green Bay Preble en route to the 1979 title and rallied from 28-11 down at the break to stop Manitowoc 46-28 in his last game as coach in 1980.

Senior running back John Rashid scored five touchdowns in that last game. In a casual conversation with him years later I asked about the effort. He said the players were simply not going to allow Trtan to lose his final game on the sidelines.

Trtan exits life just as he left coaching — as a winner, and his legacy in Fond du Lac will always extend far beyond the gridiron.

Gary Clausius is a news copy editor at The Reporter. He worked as a sports writer and editor from 1987-99.
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