End of an era

Colin Murphey/Mineral Independent | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 5 months AGO

<p>Superior High School Principal and Athletic Director Allan Labbe work in his office surrounded by football gear. Labbe recently announced he was stepping down as head football coach.</p>

SUPERIOR – Beginning in the fall of 2015, the sidelines of Superior will be without a figure who has coached generation after generation of Bobcat football players through one of the most successful periods in the program’s history.

Superior High School Principal, Athletic Director and, for the past two years, Head Football Coach Allan Labbe decided recently to step down after coaching football in one way or another for almost 30 years.

Labbe was with the team as an assistant coach during the 2008 championship season and again in 2012 as head coach. As one of the most successful eras of Superior Bobcat football ends and another begins, Labbe said he wasn’t handing over the team because of the disappointing 2014 season. Labbe said he simply wants to be able to watch his own personal team play the game.

“I want to be able to spend more time with my family,” Labbe said. “I’ve got a grandson whose going to be an eighth grader next year and he’s playing (football) and I wanted to be able to watch our grandkids play. My nephew plays in Deer Lodge and I only got to see his last game. I could keep coaching but I’d be missing what I think is important. Being the Principal, the Athletic Director and the Transportation Director and the head coach was wearing me out.”

Labbe wanted to reiterate, his stepping down had nothing to do with the 2014 season. He said he actually contemplated stepping down after last year’s season but decided to stay on one more year.

“I thought, I have to do this for the kid’s sake,” Labbe said. “I didn’t anticipate that we would have had that kind of year but I still would’ve done this. I wasn’t able to devote as much time as I needed to. I think some of my best memories weren’t while actually coaching.”

Labbe said the search for the next head coach is currently ongoing but that a decision would be made in coming weeks. He said he would still be around to help the school rebuild the program and begin a new era of Superior Bobcat football.

“I know I’m going to miss coaching but you gotta stop sometime,” Labbe said. “But, I enjoyed coaching every one of those kids. We taught them how to be champions.”