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Coach's death stuns students, community

Fallbrook High School cross-country and track and field coach Marty Hauck died of a heart attack September 19. He was 53.

Hauck had sent the boys cross-country team on a run that afternoon and had gone on a shorter run himself. He had returned and was by the fence at the high school stadium when he had a heart attack at approximately 3:45 p.m.

A security guard heard Hauck fall to the ground and athletic director Patrick Walker was also in the stadium at the time. Both ran to where Hauck had fallen, paramedics were called and the automated external defibrillator was used in an attempt to save Hauck, but efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

In addition to serving as the Warriors’ cross-country and track coach, Hauck also taught honors English at Fallbrook High School. His wife, Kathi, is a secretary in the school’s counseling office and his brother, Tim, is also a Fallbrook High coach.

In addition to his wife and brother, Hauck’s survivors include a sister, his mother, four children and three stepchildren. His father passed away earlier this year. His three sons and two stepsons had been involved in the Fallbrook High School cross-country and track programs as students.

Hauck was hired by the Fallbrook Union High School District in September 1979. After a short period as the assistant cross-country coach, he took over as head coach of the boys cross-country program. He was also an assistant track and field coach before becoming the boys head coach in 1990.

The Warrior boys cross-country team finished second in CIF competition in 1988, 1989, 1991 and 2005. Fallbrook was third in last year’s CIF meet.

Troy Hamlin, who is currently Fallbrook High School’s girls cross-country coach, notes that Hauck also played a part in the girls CIF cross-country championships in 1996 and 2001. “Marty made the program. He made it great because we all worked together,” Hamlin said.

Hamlin was an assistant coach before becoming the head girls coach, but he noted that Hauck gave assistant coaches as well as girls coaches equal input. “I never felt like an assistant coach. It was the most democratic coaching staff throughout the years that I can imagine,” Hamlin said. “Decisions were made mutually.”

Ironically, Hauck had planned to step down as the cross-country and track coach after the 2007-08 academic year in order to spend more time with his wife. “This was something he’d been looking forward to,” Hamlin said of Hauck’s planned retirement, which would have included continuing to teach at the high school.

Hauck had recruited Rich Parris, a 1987 Fallbrook High School graduate who had spent the past seven years as the Madera High School coach, to be his successor. Parris coached Madera to five CIF Sac-Joaquin Section cross-country championships and was the Sac-Joaquin Section Coach of the Year in 2005.

Parris obtained a teaching position at Fallbrook High School and has been an assistant coach this year. “He sure has the qualifications,” Walker said.

Hauck had thought about retiring earlier, but after the success of his 2005 team, which included a significant sophomore contingent, he decided to continue in order to see the current seniors to fruition. “He wanted to see them fulfill their potential,” said Marco Arias, who has taken over as the boys coach.

Hauck had put a plan into place to recruit Parris prior to this year, but first he checked with Arias and offered Arias the head coaching job if the assistant desired.

Arias told Hauck that Parris would be better for the program. Arias is also a 1987 Fallbrook High School graduate, but he played football while Parris ran cross-country.

Arias has been the assistant coach for the past three years and had returned to the high school to teach. He was a softball coach before accepting Hauck’s offer to become a track and field assistant coach.

“Marty and I were friends and I started coaching track,” Arias said. “He asked me to come on to the cross-country team.”

Arias reminded Hauck that he had not been a runner, but Hauck told Arias that he looked for the quality of a person and that an athlete could learn to coach a different sport.

Hauck provided Arias with some technical advice, and the two shared more than cross-country information. “He essentially became my older brother, mentor, advisor – you name it,” Arias said.

In order to maintain continuity with the team, Arias rather than Parris took over as the head coach for the remainder of the 2007 season. Parris is expected to become the head coach in 2008, although any coaching openings must be filled through the district hiring process.

Hauck himself was a military dependent and spent many of his teenage years living in Imperial Beach. He graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1972 and ran track and cross-country at Fresno State University before transferring to San Diego State University, where he did not participate in athletics.

The Warrior runners and coaches continued their season September 22 at the Dana Hills Invitational after deciding to run the race. “As a staff we were mixed on what we should do from here,” Hamlin said. “We talked to the kids; we talked to the captains.”

The runners felt that Hauck would have wanted them to race. “We’re all on board, and we’re all really happy that the kids are running the way they are,” Arias said.

The Warrior boys gave Hauck a memorial victory in the Dana Hills Invitational, taking not only the senior division race but also finishing first overall among the 80 teams at the meet. The Warrior girls placed third among San Diego County schools.

“All we can do is try to go on from here,” Hamlin said.

“Marty never looked for personal gratification or personal fame. Everything was about the kids,” Arias said. “He was an incredible man.”

“He was a great, great human being. You could not find a finer person in life,” Hamlin said. “I loved him very, very much and I will miss him very dearly.”

Services for Marty Hauck will be held on Saturday, September 29, at 10 a.m. in the Bob Burton Center for Performing Arts.

Memories of Coach Hauck

I met Marty before I even started to think about running. He was such a great guy and even better coach. He didn’t force you to become better; he made you want to become better. His ability to rattle off every runner’s time on the team was a testament to how much his athletes meant to him.

He is the reason I want to return to the track someday and coach. Make the kids want to run the “Revenge of the Hamburger Man” or the “Miracle 2-mile.” Gosh, those were great times.

My prayers go out to the Hauck family, all the faculty at FUHS and especially his students. There is no way to measure the impact he made on the thousands of runners he coached. Thanks for the memories, Coach Marty.

Andy Gausepohl

FUHS ’01-’05

I had Mr. Hauck for English my senior year (2004). He was always such a motivational and inspirational man! He always knew just what to say and had such a positive affect on anyone and everyone! It made the class environment a joy to be in!

Mr. Hauck will truly be missed.

Jessica Smith

Fallbrook

We lost a great role model and a great friend. Thank you, Marty, for the memories, the sweat and the joy of loving life. Every breath I take, running, you’ll be there…

Kevin Witt

Casa Grande, AZ

1984-1988 Fallbrook Track

I have plenty of great memories of Coach Hauck running with our cross-country and track teams along the Fallbrook roads. I graduated from FUHS in 1998 and still love to run today in my new home Salt Lake City.

Thanks for teaching me to run, Coach! God bless the Hauck family!

Kim Arledge

Salt Lake City, UT

Marty was a truly wonderful gift to my sister, Kathi. We were so happy when they got married in 1999, and loved having him as a part of our family from the moment we met him.

He was always attentive to Kathi and adored her every move. They had a very loving relationship. We will miss him so much.

July Andre

Clear Lake, CA

Coach Hauck was my cross-country and track coach from ’86 to ’90. He inspired me to continue my competitive running in college and beyond, and I decided to be a high school cross-country coach because of his example.

I will be forever grateful to him for showing me the love of running and competing, as well as the desire to pass it along to other generations. Everything I accomplish as an adult is a dedication to his life.

Thank you, Coach, for all that you did for me.

Brian Purcell

Fairfield, CA

 

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