So Long, Farewell: A Tribute to Coach Katz

Story by Emma Campbell »

Phil Katzenmeier has decided to step down as weight lifting teacher, head football coach, and head track coach, and to settle into retirement.

Katz, as he is often referred to by students and staff, has been teaching for a long time. He started his teaching and coaching career at Nickerson High School. He was very involved in the high school for a total of six years. When he wasn’t teaching math and physical education, he was assisting football, coaching freshman and middle school basketball, and also serving as an assistant coach for track for one year, ultimately taking over as head coach for the next five years.

“We did not have a track until my last year there, but the athletes on those teams broke half of the school records in those 5 years. We also started a weightlifting program at the school,” Katz said.

Then he moved on to Southeast of Saline, a district south of Salina, Kan., for 10 years. He was teaching  math, science and weightlifting. He coached track for Middle School and High School as an assistant for the first five years then for the last five years as head coach.

Then, in 1999, Katz decided to finally come to Eudora to teach high school math and science as well as Middle school math. First, he assisted in football and track for three years. Then he decided to take over as middle-school activities director, as well as middle-school head football coach and head high-school track coach.

In 2009, Katz moved over to Eudora High School full time in the weight room. He continued to be head track coach and assisted in football up until three years ago, when he took over the Eudora football team as head coach.

After coaching all those years, he led and coached a lot of victories.  Katz and Coach Deterding and his staff helped coach the team that won the state title in basketball. He was also apart of Coach Webb’s staff when they were state runners-up in football for two years in a row.

“A couple of the more memorable wins were at Basehor in the football play-offs, one a triple OT win. The run at the state basketball tournament was also a lot of fun, and I always enjoy the state track meet,” said Katz.

One of the students Katz coached, Senior Jamee McGinness, will never forget his first season as head coach.

“Our most memorable win was probably the whole football season two years ago,” McGinness said, “since it was his first year as head coach and we went all the way to the Sub-State Championship”

McGinness will also miss the day-to-day interaction he has had with Katz over the last few years.

“I will miss Katz’s attitude that he brings to practice everyday,” McGinness said, “He’s there to put in work… But he also cared so much about his athletes and that is rare to find in coaches these days. Katz is truly a great coach, but an even better mentor and friend.”

After all his years of coaching and teaching, Katzenmeier’s favorite part of it all is seeing the students and kids grow and become positive people in the world.

“Seeing student athletes grow as young adults is always the best part of teaching and coaching,” Katzenmeier said, “and then seeing them years later hoping I may have had some sort of positive impact on them. I suppose I’ve taught and coached over 3,000 people in my career.”