Border Country Sports Blog-November 19th
Good Morning! With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
Granville's Irion to be Inducted into Hall of Fame
Granville head football coach John Irion has a tradition of shaking the hand of everyone on the Golden Horde sideline before every game. It doesn't matter if you are a cheerleader, cheer coach, newspaper reporter, photographer, waterboy, stat keeper or team doctor. Saturday evening Irion will likley be shaking a lot more hands when he is inducted into the Capital Region Football Hall of Fame.
Granville athletic director Justin Nassivera says that is just Irion's nature.
"He is always making sure to go out of his way to just say hi to a kid in the hallway when he is in the building, and he attends other sporting events in Granville when he can," Nassivera stated. "John is someone that cares about the kids."
Irion is a retired Physical Education teacher and has coached for 40 years. He coached Queensbury High School’s football team to the State championship in 2013, four Section 2 championships and four state final appearances. John received the New York State High School Football Coaches Association Class A Coach of the Year in 1997. He also received the Capital District Chapter of the National
Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Coach of the Year awards in 1997,1998, 2013 and 2014.
Irion started his coaching career as a track and field coach at Hancock Central School before getting a Physical Education job at Central Square High School in Section 3.
At Central Square, he was an assistant coach in football and outdoor track, and eventually became the head coach of each. He also was the head coach of the newly-formed indoor track program. He coached his track teams to multiple sectional titles and had a 75-1 record.
In the summer of 1997, Irion was appointed as head football coach and Physical Education teacher in the Queensbury School District. In his 20 years at Queensbury he achieved a 136-61 record.
After retiring from teaching and coaching at Queensbury Irion settled in Hartford. He was then offered the opportunity to return to coaching in Granville. His current record is 172-104-1.
Irion has coached many athletes who have achieved successful athletic careers. Most notable is former Spartan Adam Terry, a Capital District Hall of Fame member himself and a seven year professional player in the NFL, mainly with the Baltimore Ravens. Another player, Will Groff, was awarded the 2002 New York State Class A Player of the Year and eventually played professional baseball.
John’s emphasis on strength and conditioning has allowed many of his former athletes to excel at the college level in football, track, and a variety of other sports. John and his wife Patty have three adult daughters, three son-in-laws, and seven grandchildren.
The Capital Region Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. tomorrow night at the Crowne Plaza Albany The Desmond Hotel on Albany Shaker Road in Colonie.
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With the Border Country Sports Blog, I'm Keith Harrington.
