Canton's Winningest Football Coach Retires

CANTON, MI — The winningest football coach in Canton High School history has retired. After 20 seasons as the Chiefs’ leader, Tim Baechler announced he was stepping away from the program earlier this month.

Prior to his arrival, Canton football was anything but a powerhouse. From the school’s opening in 1973 to the year before Baechler’s hiring in 1998, the Chiefs posted just four winning seasons, according to a Canton Observer report.

Installing his own version of a three-running back offense and other changes, he quickly turned Canton’s fortunes around. Baechler leaves with a 173-52 record and a .769 winning percentage. The Chiefs grabbed eight league titles, nine district championships and a trip to the state finals in 2005, the Observer reported.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Baechler told the Observer. “I am sad to say goodbye to what was a large part of our family’s life for 20 years as we raised our sons, but excited at the prospect of having some free time."

“Building it is not even remotely hard compared to keeping it going as long as we’ve been able to keep it going,” Baechler emphasized. “That just wears you out, it wore me out. And I love it (football).”

For more, go to the Canton Observer.

Photo by Tom Newby via Flickr Commons