Loar resigns as McGuffey softball coach
Bill Loar has been a staple in the local softball community for the past 25 years. A special education teacher at Washington High School and the softball coach at McGuffey, Loar is resigning from coaching now and retiring from teaching at the end of the school year.
The decision was not an easy one.
“I’m just going to let both things go and figure out what I’m going to do from there,” Loar said. “It has been great with the amount of kids you get exposure to and everything. You see the kids later on in life and so forth. It’s been really rewarding. I still enjoy doing it and will get involved in some capacity, but I found it was time to step down. “
Loar has been coaching the Highlanders for the past two seasons and led McGuffey to a 14-4 overall record last spring before losing in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals.
His coaching career began as an assistant coach at Wash High, where Loar helped start the Prexies’ softball program. He spent 14 years as Wash High’s head coach before spending two years at Trinity and two more at McGuffey.
Loar has 11 playoff appearances as a head coach.
With the spring sports beginning non-mandatory workouts in early January, McGuffey athletic director Ed Dalton plans to move quickly to fill the vacancy. He hopes to find someone to conduct preseason workouts on an interim basis until a head coach can be hired in early February.
“He thought about it a long time and explained his reasons,” Dalton said. “I think he’s one of those guys if he doesn’t go all out, he doesn’t want to do it.”
The decision became clear when Loar met with his accountant, who advised him that retirement would be beneficial at this stage in his teaching career. Thoughts of possibly trying a new profession have always been on Loar’s mind.
“It’s difficult when you coach in a district that you don’t work at,” Loar said. “You aren’t there for the kids. Even though we tried to make it work by having someone on the inside, it’s more beneficial if you are in there. I’m sure I’ll stay active and pursue another job, possibly in softball. It’d be nice to just be an aide and help.”