The thirteenth annual Rotary International Club – Leelanau, “Event to Remember” honored Glen Lake icon teacher and coach Don Miller on Friday at the Leland Lodge.
“I can say with conviction we’ve had the most ideal life,” he said during an acceptance speech.
Miller taught government in Glen Lake High School for nearly four decades. With his teacher of life’s lessons, Miller developed a legendary basketball career as coach at Glen Lake as well.
Miller held an impressive record of 524-207, 12 conference championships, 16 district championships, two regional championships, one state runner-up, and one state championship.
“The most important thing is to foster friendships among kids that go on forever. They make friends for life and I love that part,” Miller said. “All sports teach the values of respect, hard work, team work, compeitition, and communication.... All of these lessons are lifelong and apply today as much as they did 40 years ago. “
Miller was named MHSAA Class D Coach of the Year three times, and regional Coach of the Year six times. Miller was elected to the Michigan Basketball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in 1998.
Some of the most important lessons that he thinks is best for kids includes being a good role model.
“Athletes will copy what they see you do, not what you tell them what to do … The 15-minute rule,” he said..
Miller admits the person that affected him the most during his career was when that “punk kid” Paul Christensen came to teach and coach junior varsity in 1973. Christensen organized Miller’s life, and is still his best friend.
“He kept me on the straight and narrow. Coach Christensen is my daily gift of life,” Miller said.
The event Friday went on without host Scott Craig after he passed away at the end of April. Craig had written out an entire script for the event as he did most years to make it memorable.
In 2008, the Rotary Club of Suttons Bay – Leelanau County decided to recognize Owen Bahle who exemplifies the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”
The local icon of the community was a founder of the Rotary club, and its oldest living member. Bahle started a program within Rotary used eyeglasses to be given to people who could not afford them. To date, some 20,000 pairs of glasses have been collected.
“Yet, according to those who know (Miller), his greatest achievements have nothing to do with numbers. His trademark was as a teacher of life’s lessons,” Craig said in the written speech. “One of his former players put it this way, ‘he wasn’t a coach of basketball first; he was a coach of ethics and morals and basketball came second. He instilled a set of values in us that ultimately led to victories.”
Miller was honored by three speakers: Sarah Jane, Bob Sutherland, and Chet Janik.
Miller moved to the county in 1973 and has never stopped loving everything about Leelanau. He was a coach for at least 36 years, and countless years unpaid, coaching simply for the love of the game.
“If you were to stroll down a Leelanau County streets and stop a local and ask if they knew Don Miller, they would first of course smile and sometimes there’s a chuckle,” Sarah Jane said.
Miller taught for 35 years at Glen Lake and does a remarkable job of remembering the hundreds of students that graduated from there. He taught his- tory and government and led many close-up trips to Washington D.C.
“He loved the opportunity to share his love of the history of our country and to be part of some of their first trips to a big city or away from their families,” Sarah said.
Miller coached a summer basketball camp for 40 years, which many students attended from all over the county and state.
“He also loves nothing more than printing pictures for you and passing them along. Usually to your surprise, and if you are one of the lucky ones, you will get a framed collage of his favorite pictures,” Sarah said. “He’s proud of his family. There’s nothing he loves more than talking about Sandy and the life they’ve built together and her no nonsense attitude. He is proud of his son Josh, and his creativity and passion for all things culinary and his ability to recognize the needs of others and generously give. He’s proud of his daughter Joey, and her love for the environment and the work and changes she’s making for the good of us all.”
Bob Sutherland remembers a Glen Lake that was fine with being mediocre until Miller came around.
“Then this guy came into town with his eyes and views of excellence, and being champions,” Sutherland said jokingly.
Sutherland recalled when his father Dale Sutherland passed away when he was a senior in High School. While at the funeral, Sutherland found himself alone and emotional, and the first guy to come sit right down next to him was Miller.
“There was one person that got bigger and bigger in my life and his belief and encouragement and he never let me even drop one inchs … He was more than a teacher, more than a coach, but a friend and a believer right to the end, you deserve this award,” Sutherland said.
Another student and friend, Chet Janik, was one of the first students of Millers in 1973 as a junior. He remembers Miller walking into first hour class with red-plaid bell bottom pants. His classroom was full of Time and Life magazines, posters on the wall.
When thinking about what to say, Janik thought about a poem called ‘The Tapestry of Life’ that was written in the 1800s.
“We all have a tapestry, and if we’re fortunate to have people that form fibers in our lives and impact us year after year, we’re very fortunate to have those people,” Janik said. “Miller is one of those people that has been a fiber of my life for the last 50 years. Don has the incredible ability to know and remember the name of every student, every kid he ever had. I still run into him and he asked me about people that were in my class of 1975 and what they’re doing nowadays. It doesn’t matter if you’re a student, it doesn’t matter if you’re a basketball player, it doesn’t matter what you did in life afterwards. Once you meet Don, you never forget Don.”
Miller ended his acceptance speech with the value system he implemented on his players back in the day called the “Five F’s.”
Friends, Family, Faith (self confidence), Fitness, and Freedom.
