The Greater Cleveland Football Coaches Association (GCFCA) held its annual Golden Deeds Awards Banquet on April 15, 2013, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel where VASJ's Coach John Storey '59 was honored as the 2012 Golden Deeds Award recipient.
Coach Storey '58 proudly displays his award with Matt Chinchar ’69.
The Golden Deeds award is presented to those who have made important contributions to high school football in Northeast Ohio.
"It’s very nice to be in that company," Coach Storey says of the list of past Golden Deeds award recipients. Some names on the long and prestigious list of past recipients are Paul Brown, Otto Graham, Dante Lavelli, Ed Caldwell and the list goes on and on. Click here to view a complete list of past Golden Deeds award recipients.
It was a special evening for Coach Storey who was joined by his wife, children, VASJ Athletic Director Nancy Naujoks '68 and VASJ Principal David Csank.
"I’ve had the good fortune to coach a lot of good guys," he says. But to Coach Storey, it's not just about coaching his players on the field - it's about coaching them in life. "I get my kids ready to go on to college and go on to life. That’s basically what coaches do."
And the most rewarding part of his nearly 50-year coaching career, has nothing to do with trophies, medals or awards. It is knowing he had an impact on the lives of his former students that Coach Storey considers his greatest successes during his career.
"It’s the impact of guys who have been out of school for thirty years or so who are in all facets of life now and go out of their way to say, 'thanks coach.' It's rewarding," Coach Storey says.
Coach Storey is often referred to as a legend in the Viking Village. A compliment he dismisses with a smile and a response that being called a legend means nothing more than saying you've been around for a long time. The Greater Cleveland Football Coaches Association and the VASJ community agree that he is much more than that.
Congratulations to Coach John Storey, the GCFCA Golden Deeds 2012 award recipient.