Coach Honored For 18 Years of Service

After 18 years of coaching numerous Western Springs sports, local resident Terry Dunne is moving on—but not before receiving a thankful plaque and lauds from the Village Recreation Commission last Monday.

“You were very formative for many kids, in their early years and all the way through,” said Village trustee Deborah Lyons. “The dedication that you gave helped them be dedicated too, and that’s really important.”

Dunne’s specialty was always basketball—the family sport, where he coached his own two sons—but he also coached for AYSO soccer, Little League baseball and local football.

Both Dunne and the board also gave recognition to his sister Julie, a longtime coach in her own right. Dunne’s wife Mo and sister Alison Kelly also showed up to congratulate Terry, along with Alison’s kids Crofton and Mattigan, two more beneficiaries of Terry’s coaching.

Village Director of Recreation Tracey Alden said that Dunne had always been a “very positive” influence for young Western Springs athletes.

“Some coaches have different styles, but Terry’s is always very warm, welcoming and [with] great rapport with the kids,” Alden said. “The evaluations that we gather and pass out were always glowing.”

“That’s because I used to fill them out myself!” Dunne joked.

He added that retiring was difficult after so long—and that there were people trying to talk him out of it—but that it was time to move on to new things.

“I enjoyed every minute of it,” Dunne said. “I enjoyed the enthusiasm the kids had about sports. I liked teaching them and motivating them.

“And I loved the competition for the kids. It was exciting to see kids get much better, especially in the travelling programs. You’d see kids go from [waist-] height, to being taller than I am!"

In the end, Dunne's plaque says it all.

"Thank you for 18 years of coaching the youth of Western Springs," it reads. "Your love of the game, rapport with both boys and girls, and gifts of coaching in positive ways made a difference in their lives."