August 2018 | Vol. 18 Iss. 08
FREE sandy 801 MRCLEAN
ALTA’S FIRST AND ONLY SOCCER
COACH RETIRES AFTER 35 YEARS, 16 TITLES
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“My first introduction to soccer was when I was 12 years old,” Mitchell said. “Some men in my (LDS) ward played in an adult league. They took me out and beat the crap out of me and I loved it.” He continued to play on club teams and whenever he could find a game. He found a job as a teacher at Indian Hills Middle School after graduating from the University of Utah. A few years later, in 1983, boys soccer finally became a sport at the high school level. Mitchell applied for the coaching position and got the job. When the girls program was added in 1989, Mitchell took the reins of that program as well. In the end he would have a perfect set: eight state championships on the boys side combined with eight titles with the girls in the fall. Not bad for a man who had never coached prior to taking over the high school program. “We figured it out as we went,” Mitchell said. “I had a learning curve I had to go through. The first few years were rough.” But figure it out he did. And along the way he developed a coaching style many other programs would try to emulate. “He built our soccer program from ground zero to what it is today,” Alta Athletic Director Morgan Brown said. “It has been incredible to watch it grow. One of the things that makes Mitchell special is he does all the little things you hear coaches should do.” Mitchell’s approach seemed very basic. He built his teams on
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By Ron Bevan | r.bevan@mycityjournals.com he roar of the crowd could be heard that Thursday night in May at Rio Tinto Stadium. It echoed in the ears of Alta soccer coach Lee Mitchell. He had led his boys team to another state title. The sounds, the feelings were not new to Mitchell. He had heard them before. But for him they rang differently. Although many wondered, only he and a few close associates knew at the time it would be his last game at the helm of the Hawks. One week later, Mitchell announced at the team’s final dinner that he was retiring as the coach of Alta. “I had made the decision earlier in the season that this would be my last,” Mitchell said. “But I didn’t tell the boys until after the championship game. I wanted the season to be about them, not me.” When Mitchell announced his retirement, it closed a storied career at Alta, something few coaches nowadays can even comprehend. Mitchell is the only coach to ever helm an Alta soccer team, both boys and girls. “Mitchell is a pioneer in the sport of soccer,” Utah High School Athletic Association Executive Director Rob Cuff said. “He is a great ambassador to high school sports. His impact and influence on soccer in Utah will never be forgotten.” Mitchell grew up in Utah, at a time when soccer wasn’t played very much except for perhaps an obligatory week in high school PE. But he found a love for the sport as a young lad.
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Hale Center Theatre’s My Son Pinocchio: Geppetto’s Musical Tale
page 15
Nationally renowned local gymnast soars before hometown crowd
After 35 years at the helm, Lee Mitchell, Alta’s only soccer coach for either boys or girls teams, announced his retirement in May. (Photo by Michelle Porter)
the principles of hard work, cohesiveness, respect and integrity. He wasn’t just building great soccer players, he wanted them to become great persons off the field as well. The hard work began on the very first day of practice. Although most of his charges play soccer year-round and are already in de-
cent condition, he made sure they were always ready for Alta soccer. So they ran, and ran, and ran some more. “He would have us running through the neighborhoods for miles,” said former player Kealia Ohai. “We dreaded the running, but looking back it was what helped us Continued on page 5...
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