The Manitowoc Lutheran football team is not only starting their season tonight, but they are also honoring a longtime coach and teacher.
The field on Lancer Circle will be renamed “Coach Fred Heiderich Field” on a day where the Lancers will bring back several players and Coach’s family.
The school’s Director of Marketing & Social Media, Paul Durkee, says it will be an exciting event for anyone who attended the school or has been a fan of the team.
“We’re excited to have all the old football players here, the families of all the old managers, as many people as we can get out here that are part of the program and celebrate Coach Heindrich for his years of service here,” he told SeehaferNews.com.
Coach Heidrich led the Lancers football program for over 30 years while also serving as a teacher for over 40 years.
Even after he decided to end his time with the football program, the man affectionately known as “Coach” continued to help out with the track team.
Crews getting the Manitowoc Lutheran scoreboard ready to say “Coach Fred Heindrich Field”
“He was here from the late sixties, early seventies, all the way until 2019 he was still helping out here,” Durkee noted.
As one may expect, many people have stories about Coach Heidrich, but there is one specific story that Durkee says continuously gets brought up.
“If you look down in the corner of our end zone, there’s a large oak tree, and that tree is the tree that he would send players on,” he said. “They’d have to go run around the tree if, you know, if they were screwing around or whatever the case was. So we’re getting a lot of a lot of feedback about the tree and the great memories they had with coach and the football program.”
The season and home opener for the Lancers will be against cross-town rival Roncalli with a 7:00 kickoff, but guests are encouraged to come out early to view several photo galleries and memorabilia displays inside the most recent addition.
Staff will also be on hand to give guided tours of the new gym for those who haven’t had a chance to see it yet.
The game will also be aired on 980 WCUB and CubRadio.com, with Brian Norton on the call starting at 6:45 p.m.
