Crowder leaving Eastlake
June 25, 2008
By J.B. Wogan
Championship coach transfers to Lake Washington
“It’s been a great ride,” said George Crowder, who resigned as Eastlake High School’s softball coach June 16.
Crowder guided this year’s team to the 4A state championship. He has been the KingCo softball coach of the year five times.
“Some things happen in life for a reason,” reflected Crowder, who said he had put his name on a school district transfer list earlier in the year and decided May 28 to take a job at Lake Washington High School for the following school year.
“I’ve been wanting to do some different kinds of teaching,” said Crowder.
A special education instructor who occasionally taught a course on general history, Crowder will break new ground for himself next fall.
At Lake Washington, he will teach modern world history and honors U.S. government.
With a day job at Lake Washington, Crowder said he realized he couldn’t maintain his coaching responsibilities back at Eastlake.
“What makes him a valuable coach is that he’s able to relate to players,” said Brent Kawaguchi, athletic director at Eastlake. “That part of his coaching abilities will be compromised now.”
“The bottom line is, if I can’t be the same kind of coach, then I’m going to let someone else take over,” Crowder explained. “I don’t think it would be fair to the kids.”
The only head softball coach in Eastlake history, Crowder established a 211-124 record in softball from 1994-2008. His teams won three league championships and three league tournament championships.
The state title in late May was his first at Eastlake.
In 2003, he was also All Eastside Coach of the Year for softball.
At different points in his career, Crowder also served as the head girls basketball coach, the wide receivers football coach, the junior varsity tennis coach and the head sophomore boys basketball coach.
He will take over as the football team’s wide receiver coach at Lake Washington next year.
Kawaguchi said that Eastlake will begin a search for the school’s new head softball coach when he returns from vacation in August.
Reporter J.B. Wogan can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 247, or jbwogan@isspress.com.
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