BLAINE – For the last 17 seasons, it has been one voice for the football team in the border city of Blaine. That voice gave its final words to his team on Tuesday as Jay Dodd stepped down as the head football coach for the Borderites.
“I truly feel like one of the luckiest guys ever, being able to be a football coach alongside so many great assistant coaches and so many great players,” Dodd said in a text message. “There is nothing like going into battle on a Friday night with a packed house, with a lot at stake and battling with the team that you love.”
Dodd led Blaine to four trips to the state tournament, including three years in a row, 2007-2009. They were the first state tournament appearances since Dodd’s senior year as a Borderite when he was an All-League two-way selection on the line in 1995, the last time Blaine won a league championship.
He steps down 73 victories, the most in Blaine history.
“Most of all, I’ll miss the process of being around kids and helping them develop into adults,” Dodd added. “But all good things come to an end. I’ll still be around.”
The Dodd family is synonymous with the Blaine area, so being around will be what the community would want.
On a personal note, and as a Blaine resident, I hope he stays around. He was one of the first coaches that helped me develop Whatcom Preps into what it has become, and can never thank him enough for it.
This is what happens when you have a terrible superintendent who governs through fear and poor decisions.