Portage High School fields named in honor of longtime coaches
Larry Casbon, former baseball coach and athletic director, and former football coach Les Klein will have the appropriate fields named in their honor.
'I am so happy that you took care of Mr. Casbon first. I took care of him for 20 years as his assistant,' said Klein, who attended Monday night's Portage Township School Board meeting.
Casbon served as a teacher and coach, 'quickly earning the respect of students, staff, and the greater Portage community for his dedication and integrity,' Superintendent Amanda Alaniz said.
Casbon was named athletic director in 1976 and held that position for 20 years. 'During his tenure, Casbon led with vision, fairness and a deep commitment to student-athlete development,' Alaniz said. After his time as athletic director ended, he returned to the classroom, 'continuing to invest in the lives of students until his retirement.'
'Mr. Casbon's influence on Portage athletics, particularly baseball, is profound and enduring,' Alaniz said. 'Naming the Portage High School Baseball Complex in his honor would be a fitting tribute to his legacy and a lasting symbol of our appreciation for his decades of service to our school community.'
'This is exciting,' board President Andy Maletta said. 'It's been a long time since we started looking at the legacy of others.' Anyone who came into contact with Casbon could see 'what a great person he was, a great human being,' Maletta said.
Alaniz also spoke of Klein's career. He graduated high school in Morocco, Indiana, in 1956, where he was a three-year football letterman, all-conference running back in 1954 and 1955, football team MVP in 1955, and he captained the football, basketball and track teams.
At St. Joseph's College, Klein was the leading rusher in the Indiana Collegiate Conference as a senior in 1960. He was selected as the team's MVP, won Little All-American honors, and All-Catholic All-American. Klein is a charter member of St. Joseph's College Football Hall of Fame.
Before his 19 years at Portage, Klein coached at North Judson and Lowell for four years each, with a remarkable total head coaching record of 156-110-3 over his 27 years.
The 1977 PHS team won the Class 3A state championship. Klein's PHS teams also won three conference championships, four sectionals and one regional championship. He served as staff coach for the North-South All-Star games in 1975 and 1981. He also has among the top 20 all-time career coaching victories in Indiana.
Klein was inducted into the Indiana Hall of Fame in June of 1990.
'This room is not big enough' to start naming names, Klein said in the board room.
'The path of least resistance to all success is to surround yourself with successful people,' he remembers his father telling him.
Klein recalled starting at Portage in 1979, when the young city was a boomtown. 'The farmland couldn't grow houses fast enough. It exploded,' he said.
Throughout his years as coach, Klein dealt with a number of Hall of Fame people, he said. Klein is himself a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
The football field being named in his honor will culminate with an Oct. 10 ceremony. 'This is the greatest honor and the greatest humbling experience,' Klein said.
Board member Jeff Smith played for Klein during his four years of high school in the 1980s. 'They coached multiple sports, and they were dads to all the kids in this community,' he said of Klein and Casbon.
'There is no one more deserving than you are for the time you put in,' Maletta said.
Board Vice President Wilma Vazquez hadn't met Klein before Monday's meeting but was impressed. 'I know you are a man of wisdom, integrity, you are humble, and you have impacted hundreds and hundreds of people,' she said.
Director of Communications Melissa Deavers created posters honoring Casbon and Klein so their legacy will be highlighted for years at the fields named in their honor, Alaniz said.
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