Wauneta-Palisade community remembers Coach Lauhead

A piece of Wauneta-Palisade’s history has passed away.
Roger Lauhead, WP teacher and coach, died last week at age 75.
Despite retiring in 2011, Lauhead remained active in the school system, substitute teaching and watching games from the west hallways to the gym.
His last day at the school was March 15.
Superintendent Randy Geier said Lauhead was always very dependable and did a great job.
An Elwood native, Lauhead coached at WP for 21 years, even spending an extra year on the sideline after he retired from teaching. He had an overall record of 334-125 in girls’ basketball, won eight conference championships, made nine trips to the state tournament and won the 1997 Class D1 state title.
Geier said, when he came to WP in 2006, Lauhead was one of his assistant coaches for the Broncos’ football team that made the eight-man semifinals in 2006 and quarterfinals in 2007.
“He was in the press box on game night and was a big asset to me on the head set,” Geier said.
“He watched a ton of film and his teams were always very well prepared,” Geier added.
As an administrator, Geier appreciated Lauhead’s dedication to education.
Lauhead taught upper elementary and junior high science, as well as elementary and high school PE.
“I always enjoyed working with Coach Lauhead during my tenure as principal and superintendent,” Geier said.
On the other side of the coin are the student-athletes who played for Lauhead.
WP Counselor Betsy Johanson and Head Track Coach Dawn Doetker played for Lauhead starting in elementary.
Both said he made basketball fun at an early age and started kids off with the fundamentals needed to build good programs.
Each also mentioned Lauhead’s ability to motivate his players.
“I think what really made Mr. Lauhead a great coach is that he took time and interest in people, and really knew his players,” Johanson said.
Doetker said the coach was always watching videos and scouting the Broncos’ opponents.
“He must have spent hours and hours and hours watching film from our games and practices and from our opponents’ games. His preparation through film study and stats made us confident,” Johanson said.
The effort he put in to prepare his teams made his players want to work hard for him and for each other, Johanson added.
“He would never yell,” Doetker said, but players could tell by the look in his eyes and his body language when Lauhead was upset yet he always stayed calm.
“He was also really confident, even though he was quiet and maybe didn’t come off that way. Mr. Lauhead was also, I think, ahead of his time in terms of sports psychology,” Johanson said.
Doetker said WP teams practiced meditation and visualization as part of their preparation. Johanson recalled the cassette tape the team would listen to before every game.
“He found unique ways to motivate each group of players that he coached, and that allowed him to get the most of his athletes,” Johanson said.
Doetker remembers being a young player coming off the bench in the state tournament and the support she received from the upper class, which she credits to Lauhead’s leadership.
Doetker also got to sit by Lauhead at the state tournament as assistant coach for three years. She said his tactics and styles hadn’t changed from when she played.
Doetker said there are other members of Lauhead’s coaching tree who have used his style of coaching to motivate athletes to this day.
“He will always be remembered as a great coach,” Doetker said.
After a year as an assistant, Johanson stepped into the head coach role when Lauhead retired. She carried on Lauhead’s legacy by taking her first two teams to the state tournament.
At the time of his retirement in 2011, Lauhead took pride in the success of his players after they left WP.
    “Sometimes I get letters or pictures from them, and I enjoy that. Sometimes they stop in at the school to visit me. It’s been rewarding being a positive influence as a coach and teacher,” Lauhead said.
Away from the school, Doetker said she will miss his blue Bug driving around town.
“He was always in his Bug and loved that car,” Doetker said.
“If you got him by himself he loved to talk. He loved to do his genealogy with his family,” Doetker added.
“He was a super interesting man—always studying something and interested in different things. He also knew how to have fun,” Johanson said.
Services this week
WP hosted an open house/visitation on Wednesday evening.
Memorial services will be Thursday at the Elwood United Methodist Church.
Condolences and personal reflections may be left at
elwoodfuneralhome.com.