LA GRANDE — Orv Goddard led local high school athletic teams to numerous triumphs during a career which spanned five decades. But along the way Goddard did much more than win.

Goddard also helped countless youths begin their life journeys on the right foot. 

Literally.

“Nobody will ever know how many new pairs of athletic shoes he gave to young people,’’ said Joe Sandoz, a retired educator who taught at La Grande High School with Goddard, who died Tuesday, Aug. 13, at age 81 at his home in La Grande.

Rich McIlmoil, who coached football with Goddard at La Grande Middle School and La Grande High School for many years, said his friend had no interest in being recognized for his generosity.

“Orv had an open heart. He stepped forward for kids. He did so many things people will never know about,’’ McIlmoil said.

Klel Carson, who coached football at La Grande Middle School with Goddard, said he had a sense of optimism which buoyed those around him.

“I will never forget the time he told our players before the season started ‘This will be my 56th year in football and it will be my best.’’’

The comment, Carson said, reflected Goddard’s passion for the gridiron and how he embraced the present.

“He focused on making today the best day. He wanted to live in the moment,’’ Carson said.

Carson, who is now La Grande High School’s wrestling coach and led the Tigers to state titles in the winters of 2022 and 2023, was a student of Goddard’s while growing up in La Grande.

“As a teacher and a coach he related to everyone. He was kind to all the kids,’’ Carson said.

Goddard was often busy yet always had time to greet people and discuss their concerns.

“He had an open heart and an open ear. He always had time to listen,’’ McIlmoil said.

McIlmoil and Goddard traveled together with their teams to many games.

“Anywhere we went in the football world everyone knew Orv and everyone loved him,’’ said McIlmoil, who served as La Grande High School’s head football coach from 2018 to 2023.

McIlmoil guided La Grande High School to a state title in 2019. It marked the second in the school’s history, a title claimed 45 years after the school’s first on the gridiron in 1974.

Goddard did not coach the 1974 team but knew many of the players and coaches on it. He understood how deeply the team’s championship was etched into the fabric of La Grande’s legacy and shared this with the 2019 team during its title run. Goddard stressed to the 2019 players that they had a special opportunity to be linked to the legendary 1974 squad.

“He had a big hand in motivating them,’’ McIlmoil said.

Coaching career 

Goddard grew up in Condon and played football for Eastern Oregon University in the 1960s. He began his coaching career in 1967 when he was named a line coach for Eastern’s football team.

Goddard, who graduated from Eastern Oregon University in 1970, began his career as an educator and a high school coach in 1971 when he was hired by the Cove School District.

The educator served as Cove’s head basketball, football and track coach from 1971 through 1975. From 1975 to 1978 he was the school’s football and track coach.

Goddard’s teams won numerous conference titles in the old Baker B League during his tenure in Cove. His 1978 football team advanced to the state playoffs.

The young coach left the Cove School District in the late 1970s to take a position in private business. Goddard returned to prep sports in 1981 when Union High School hired him. He was its baseball coach for three years and directed the school to one Wapiti League title. He served as the Bobcats’ head football coach in 1984.

He returned to the local athletic scene in 1981 when he took a position as Union High School’s athletic director. He left the Union School District in 1985 to take a social studies teaching position at La Grande High School, where also became an assistant girls basketball coach.

Goddard later served as the head coach of the La Grande High School girls basketball team from 1988 to 1995. He led the Tigers to Intermountain Conference titles in 1994 and 1995. Goddard was named La Grande High School’s head football coach in 1997. After serving as La Grande’s head football coach, Goddard was an assistant LMS and LHS football coach for about 13 years.

The coach also found time to officiate basketball games, including those played in small bandbox gyms. Goddard told The Observer in 1988 that when he was officiating games at Cove High School’s oldest gym he kept a hand out while running along the small gym’s sidelines.

“It kept me from crashing into the wall,’’ Goddard said.

Goddard was a calm person, not one who often wore his emotions on his sleeve, but he had no trouble getting young people fired up. Lin Casciato, a retired La Grande High School teacher, noted that at school pep assemblies Goddard was often called upon to give short presentations at the end of the assemblies.

“They were fun motivational talks with a little humor,’’ Casciato said. “He got people fired up, the kids loved it.’’

Family first, then students

Students attending these pep assemblies included Goddard’s daughters, Tami and Kenna, both of whom he coached at La Grande High School. McIlmoil credits Goddard, who married his wife, Patty, 56 years ago, with being extremely devoted to his family.

“He often told me how much his family meant to him,’’ McIlmoil said.

Students and athletes say Goddard also took an keen interest in reaching out to students who appeared to be at risk of dropping out of school and going down dangerous paths.

“He could relate with those kids,’’ said Verl Miller, a retired La Grande High School teacher and wrestling coach who led the Tigers to state titles in 1978 and 1996.

Goddard could empathize with youths who were going in the wrong direction because he once was on a path to nowhere himself, said Patty Goddard. She said her husband, who grew up in Condon, faced difficult challenges as a youth, ones magnified by the death of his father when he was 12.

Orv Goddard moved to Portland after his father died, but struggled there and got into trouble. His mother brought him back to Condon where he got back on the right track, a turnaround he would credit in large part to his involvement in football, Patty Goddard said.

Miller credits Goddard with being able to make connections not only with at-risk students but with those from all walks of life because of his sincere concern for them.

“Kids can tell if you are phony or not. Orv was not phony. He cared about kids,’’ Miller said.

All-star treatment

Goddard held the athletes on his teams to high standards but in turn provided them with a wealth of support.

“He loved the kids and the kids loved him. He made kids believe in themselves,’’ said Imbler High School wrestling coach Doug Hislop, who earlier served as the Imbler School District’s superintendent for 11 years and worked in the La Grande School District for three decades before that.

Hislop stressed that Goddard dealt with all athletes on his squads the same manner regardless of their skill level.

“He treated everyone on his teams like they were star athletes,’’ Hislop said.

Goddard’s encouraging nature carried over to those he worked with.

“He was supportive of everyone. If a staff member needed a boost, Orv would provide it,’’ Hislop said.

A celebration of life service for Orv Goddard will start at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7 at Community Stadium on the Eastern Oregon University campus. A reception will follow in the 4-H building at the Union County Fairgrounds.

The original version of this story had an incorrect reference to where Klel Carlson coaches wrestling. He is the wrestling coach for La Grande High School. The story has been corrected.