Look at it This Way: Lightfoot legend more than on diamond

Rick Mauch

Lightfoot was the only head coach the Coyotes had known until Jud Kinzy recently stepped into the role, hand picked by Lightfoot himself. That’s about as strong a recommendation one can get and no doubt Kinzy, Lightfoot’s assistant since 2018 and a former Coyotes player, understands the shoes he is being asked to fill.

Lightfoot, who played for Weatherford High School, has long been a local favorite. Then, when he became a coach, his legacy grew with each season.

He retired with 912 victories, most of them leading the Coyotes. Two seasons ago he guided them to their best season in team history, finishing third in the NJCAA Division I World Series with a 53-11 record.

He also won a NJCAA Division III World Series in 2001 while coaching at Eastfield College in Mesquite, also leading the team to a runner-up finish in 1998.

To say Lightfoot is the epitome of a winner would be akin to saying Tom Hanks is a great actor. If Hanks is in a movie, odds are it’s going to be good and if Lightfoot was coaching your team it was a pretty good bet you were going to win the game.

Already the assistant athletic director, it was a no-brainer to promote him to the top spot when another legend, Lady Coyotes basketball coach Bob McKinley, stepped aside to focus on just coaching basketball.

Just coaching basketball. That’s like saying Taylor Swift “just sings songs” or John Grisham “just writes books.” McKinley, like Lightfoot, has left an impression that will long be remembered after he’s finished coaching and molding young lives.

That was a specialty of Lightfoot’s, setting his athletes up for success beyond Weatherford College. He’s sent a plethora of players on to play at bigger college programs, many have been drafted into the professional ranks, some have even won World Series and one — Jake Arrieta — won the World Series and a Cy Young pitching for the Chicago Cubs in 2015.

Lightfoot made it clear to his players they were not only representing Weatherford College, they were representing the city of Weatherford. Often, they would be seen out in the community doing public service to help others.

His players studied hard, made good grades, and were just plain intelligent. Never once did I interview one of his athletes without coming away with some great comments and in-depth details about their lives — elements that make for a good feature story.

He didn’t just recruit talent, he recruited character. He recognized such character because he has it within himself.

Lightfoot is, quite simply, a good man. He’s an understanding man, a caring man.

He’s the kind of coach who makes the job of writers like myself easier. Not only would he relay interesting details about his current players, but it wasn’t uncommon for me to get a text about a player he’d coached 10 or 15 years ago.

Sure enough, when I would reach out to that former player, the second I mentioned Lightfoot they melted. They couldn’t wait to talk about their times as a Coyote and the influence he had on their lives — and still does as, like all great coaches, he keeps up with his former players and what sort of lives they’ve built.

Lightfoot was always a text away from a great comment for a story. If he didn’t respond immediately — which he usually did — he’d begin his response with an apology, though none was needed as I knew he was busy sculpting the future of young players.

Lightfoot will be missed as a baseball coach, but I believe Kinzy will continue the success that his mentor established. However, Lightfoot will be equally as great leading all of the WC programs as he was the baseball team.

Just like McKinley, he will bring his winning style in his sport to all sports at the school. And, just like McKinley, just meeting him influences athletes to bring their talents to town.

There’s just something about some folks that when you meet them you just know you’re meeting good people. I thought that about Lightfoot when I first met him many years ago and I still do today.