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Published: Monday, 2/2/2015 - Updated: 2 days ago

Perrysburg athletic director set to retire

Pohlman, who served high school for 36 years, always put students first

BY MATT THOMPSON
BLADE STAFF WRITER

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Perrysburg High School athletic director Ray Pohlman, center, talks with Jerry Metcalf of Waterville, center left, in between the boys and girls basketball games Friday. Perrysburg High School athletic director Ray Pohlman, center, talks with Jerry Metcalf of Waterville, center left, in between the boys and girls basketball games Friday.
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Ray Pohlman has had a competition with his alarm clock since 1980. His goal: Hit it before it goes off at 5:30 each morning.

He’s a man who hits the ground running and is passionately devoted to his job as Perrysburg High School’s athletic director.

Mr. Pohlman has decided to retire next summer because now, more often than not, the alarm clock is winning. But he’s still energetic, from his pre-work morning workouts all the way through his evening supervising Yellow Jacket sporting events.

Mr. Pohlman came to Perrysburg from Defiance in 1980 to teach math. He also took up roles as track coach and was an assistant coach for wrestling and football. He became head football coach from 1996 until 2001, when he resumed the assistant’s role. He has been athletic director for the last 12 school years.

“While I was head football coach, I also served as assistant athletic director, president of the teachers’ association, and assistant athletic director,” Mr. Pohlman said about his late-1990s workload. “I wanted to stay active and involved, and didn’t just want to be that coach. I wanted to be a head coach that helped the community.”

Caring about students is what came first; it meant more than sports knowledge, Mr. Pohlman said.

Matt Kregel, the current football coach, said Mr. Pohlman’s work ethic and heart for students are what set him apart.

“Be a good father and spend time with the family and do important family things,” Mr. Kregel said. “In my opinion he is the most valuable person in Perrysburg Schools since I’ve been here.”

Mr. Pohlman finds value in his work beyond wins and championships. Hearing students come back and thank him for character building is where he finds joy.

Andy Brungard, an assistant football coach, played under Mr. Pohlman and recalled a tough week he was having at school.

“He pulled me into his classroom and talked to me,” he said. “When we were done talking he gave me his head coach business card so I could call him if I needed to talk to him more.”

Mr. Pohlman taped a Bible passage on the back of the card that read, “In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you are doing it for the Lord, not for people.” The 2001 graduate has kept that excerpt, Colossians 3:23, in his wallet for 15 years as a reminder.

Mr. Pohlman, now 59, is looking forward to a change in season for his “third quarter” of life. The Sunday school teacher at Grace United Methodist said he’s leaving his future to God’s will.

Mr. Kregel said he was a defensive-minded coach and still spends time in the film room. He expects Mr. Pohlman back in some capacity with the district because “he’s too valuable not to use his football expertise.”

More than 100 applications quickly came in for the position, for which Mr. Pohlman was paid $83,000 a year.

Accolades and honors, Mr. Pohlman deflects to others. He thanks current and past administrators for trusting him, his coaches, office workers, and everyone else on his “team” for supporting and helping him, and credits as “no greater helper” his wife, Kim Pohlman, with whom he raised three children and now expects a fifth grandchild.

“Football was seven days a week. She had to deal with that and late dinners,” he said. “She sometimes had to get my attitude in check too. She always gave me sound advice.”

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.


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