John Gingery has made a lasting impact on Lincoln East and its Spartan culture. He has been in the East High School football program for 50 years, as well as the head coach for 28 years. Everyone who has had him as a coach or as a P.E teacher in his weight lifting and team sports classes has witnessed his contagious energy and love for what he does.
A member of the class of 1975, Gingery is a Lincoln East graduate. When he was in school, he was an athletic powerhouse who participated in basketball, track, and football. In football, he played defensive end and led his team to the 1974 State Championship. After high school, he took his athletic talents to the University of Nebraska to play football.
“After college, I still had the itch to stay in touch with the game,” Gingery said. “I didn’t want to teach at first, and I was allowed the opportunity to coach football at South Dakota State. But, I ended up declining the offer and I went into private business for a year.”
When Gingery got married, he felt the need to get a real job. So, he followed his education degree and got the job at Lincoln East where he has been coaching ever since.
“My favorite part of coaching is the relationships,” Gingery said. “Building the progress you see within student athletes is the best part.”
“Something I really appreciate about Ging is his genuine care for every player he coaches,” senior quarterback Timmy Burkman said. “His love for coaching leaves such a positive mark on East football, and he knows how to make the game fun but still work to be better every day.”
Because of his many years on the football field, Ging has seen many generations of students, and could definitely tell some interesting stories.
“The greatest East football memories for me would be playing and coaching a state championship team, but also the funny moments in between,” Gingery said. “There are so many funny moments I should write a book.”
Gingery has seen firsthand how high school sports have changed over the years. He has seen how college recruitment and club sports are more influential now than they were back in the day, which makes student participation much lower.
“Today if people don’t play club sports they don’t think they can play in high school- which is crazy,” Gingery said. “When I’m gone, you may see some high school sports even disappear because of low numbers and kids being too focused on their club sports.”
With his strong 50-year-long career at East, many people bring up the age-old question of when Gingery will retire.
“It depends on how long my body holds up,” Gingery said. “I still enjoy it and can still make an impact. Once I stop making an impact, I will retire and probably pick up fishing.”
Overall, it doesn’t sound like our beloved football coach plans on leaving us any time soon. Gingery’s half- century-long career filled with victories and Spartan pride will forever be infamous to all students at East.
