Assumably, if you go to East High, you would know who Coach Gingery is. However, if you are unsure, here’s a refresher. Coach Ging is the varsity football coach and health teacher. He has been teaching and coaching football here at East for about 37 years. 

You have got to have some serious motivation to be a teacher for over 37 years. Coach Gingery says that, ”seeing kids progress, the relationships he has built with students, and helping kids grow and make good decisions,” is all he has needed to continue to motivate him and give him a sense of gratification. 

Gingery notes that there has also been some big challenges along the way. When he took over as the varsity football coach, East was a small Class B school with about 800 kids. Due to that factor, Lincoln East competed against much larger and better football schools. He says, “it was important to focus more on improvement rather than wins or loses”. 

For thirty-seven years Coach Gingery has been living a fast paced life as a key role in the football program here at East. However sometimes life can get in the way when everything seems to be running smoothly. Two weeks ago on a Sunday, Gingery had a heart attack. Thankfully, due to his knowledge as a health teacher, he knew that his body wasn’t feeling right. Turns out that when Gingery went to get checked out he was in the early stages of a heart attack. He informed us that he had “two blockages; one was 90 percent blocked, and the other only 80 percent.” Two stents were needed, but there were no other complications. 

Coach Gingery has a family history of heart attacks, most of which took some of his family away at a young age. He has emphasized that “you always need to listen to your body.” Today Coach is going through rehab at the hospital and has been told to slow down. I advise everyone to take Coach Gingery’s advice and listen to your body, because the worst feeling is always wondering, “What if?”