More Than A Legend

Prep has certainly had its share of legends over the past 125 years but, in the case of John M. Goodwin, somehow even “legend” doesn’t feel like enough.

John Goodwin’s connection with the Jesuits began in Spokane, where he attended Gonzaga Prep and played on the last Gonzaga College football team. He served our nation in World War II and continued his close connection with the Society of Jesus when he took on teaching and coaching positions at Seattle Prep in 1948. Mr. Goodwin was the only true “Mr.” at that time – when the school was staffed almost exclusively by Jesuits.

John Goodwin always saw himself as an educator first, coach second. However, whether in the classroom or on the gridiron, his approach was always the same. At a time well before phrases like “cura personalis” (care for the person) and “men and women for others” were commonly spoken in Jesuit schools, John Goodwin lived these words through every interaction he had with Prep students.

In the classroom, Mr. Goodwin’s intelligence made him a great fit for the highest level math classes, but his heart also drew him to those students who really struggled with math. He loved teaching them all. Cregan Howard ’62 remembers that, “Mr. Goodwin was a math instructor supreme, assuring that he was connecting with each student in the classroom and that his chalk board displays were imprinting on our young minds. His disciplined approach to teaching was spiced with humor and wit.”

While Prep students learned of Mr. Goodwin’s talents, commitment and compassion in the classroom, the city of Seattle and state of Washington became aware of these attributes during Coach Goodwin’s remarkable tenure as the leader of the Panther football team. In the 1960’s, Goodwin-coached teams had a 21 game winning streak, only one loss in a four year span, and State Championships in 1965 (the year he was named Seattle PI’s Sportsman of the Year) and 1966.

But, again, it was the relationships that mattered most. John F. Miller, Jr. ’57 (a Prep legend in his own right), recalled that John Goodwin always knew when someone was in trouble or hurting. “He had a saying, ‘Dobbie,’ that was spoken only amongst the coaches when one of our boys was down. Everyone rallied – faculty, coaches, classmates – to show they cared. John Goodwin knew how to make every student believe in himself on and off the field. The confidence of our Panthers is what helped them win games!”

The John M. Goodwin Memorial Endowment was started by his sons J. Michael Goodwin ’66, and John Goodwin, the father of Kevin ’09, Michael ’13 and Patrick ’07 to provide tuition assistance for students at Prep. John’s wife Kate is the Admissions Director at Prep.

Many of Coach Goodwin’s former students and athletes have made gifts to the endowment in his name. John Hopcroft ’57 spoke about Mr. Goodwin’s deep love for students. “I give to Prep’s endowments specifically to honor John Goodwin, a teacher who taught algebra and who made me feel that he would be disappointed if I did not do well. I vowed to never let him down. I have never forgotten the impact he had on me then, and going forward. The other reason I give is the confidence I have in Prep to hire teachers of John Goodwin’s caliber so that Prep will continue to be a school where excellence in teaching is foremost.”