From historic wins to gut-wrenching losses, 2010 had its ups and downs in Commerce area sports.
As we reflect this week on the past year, here’s a look at some of the biggest stories in 2010, in no particular order.
Savage, Larimer, Caputo Leave
2010 saw the departure of three area coaches that shaped their programs greatly.
After 33 years as a football coach, 22 of them as head coach of the Commerce Tigers, Steve Savage decided to hang up his whistle.
Savage, 55, made the decision last spring.
A graduate of CHS (where he played four years at offensive tackle and linebacker), he went to Maryville College in Maryville, TN, where he played four years, starting at strong safety.
Coming back to Commerce after college was the last thing on his mind. But when coaches Mike Hendrix and George Bobo left Ray Lamb’s staff in 1973, Lamb called.
“I interviewed with Ray and Aubrey Finch (former CHS principal),” Savage recalled. “They said ‘we need someone to coach the offensive line. We need a head wrestling coach too. We think so much of you we want you to be head baseball coach.’ I jumped out of my chair and signed right there and coached all three for $1,500. I had no idea what I was getting into.”
He also found that he had to take care of the football and practice fields, line the field for track and, during basketball season, drive over town and get ice. He’s been in charge of field maintenance ever since, including mowing the turf of Tiger Stadium and the practice field.
“All those things helped me as a young coach to know what was going on,” he said. “You couldn’t do that now. You couldn’t hire a rookie to do all that now.”
Savage became head coach and athletic director when Lamb resigned to coach the Monroe Purple Hurricanes in 1989.
Over his tenure, Savage has taught biology, science, health and weight training. He currently teaches three weight training classes.
At 55, Savage says he’s too young not to work, and said he has some “leads” regarding employment after he’s done at CHS. But when next fall arrives, he knows he’ll miss the game.
“Not when it’s 110 degrees,” he noted. “Certainly I’ll miss it. This is all I’ve ever done and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”
For more on this story, see Wednesday's edition of The Commerce News.
