Synonymous with girls sports, Keota's Fish bids farewell

KEOTA -- When a social studies job opened at Keota High School in the fall of 1973, there were about 250 applicants, 13 of which got an interview.

One of the questions: "Would you be interested in starting and coaching the girls' basketball program?"

Dave Fish answered yes. And he got the job.

It is a job he has held for 38 years. And it's a job he will vacate Friday.

"There are a lot of memories as I wander through the halls, the gym, the playing fields," Fish said Thursday. "It's tough to say good bye. There are a lot of kids here that I really like."

Fish, 60, is synonymous with girls' sports in this Keokuk County town of 900. He started the basketball and softball programs, took over the track program and restarted the cross country program.

His years of service: 38 years of girls' basketball, 35 in softball, 22 in girls' and boys' cross country and 16 in girls' track. He relinquished the softball and track programs in recent years, but held onto the cross country and basketball reins to the end.

"The commitment he has made to our school district is something you hardly ever see," said school principal Lisa Brenneman, a 1984 Keota graduate and a former six-player guard for Fish.

"He'll be missed on the court, but he'll be missed just as much in the classroom. He has been a leader on our staff."

The Keota boys won the South Iowa Cedar League cross country championship last fall, and the girls' basketball team was 17-7 last winter.

Former Sigourney coach Jenny Hobbs will take over the program next season.

A native of Belle Plaine and a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Fish said he "started off like Bobby Knight and ended up more like Tom Davis.

"It took me a few years to realize that I didn't have to rant and rave at officials," he said. "I started off as sort of a fanatic, but I like to think I've mellowed out as time passed."

Fish never took a basketball or softball team to the state tournament, but he had some tremendous athletes like Deb Baetsle, Katie Brees, Allison Lyle and Hannah Baker.

He said the biggest joy in coaching high school girls was "their dedication. They're serious athletes that are out to win and get better."

In retirement, Fish hopes to land as an assistant coach somewhere. He plans to work on his house in Belle Plaine and attend sporting events at UNI.

"I have season tickets there for a lot of sports," he said. "I'm going to quit throwing those away."