Linfield University Athletics

Spreading his love and knowledge for the game of football as a small-school coach for more than 30 years after his playing days ended in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down, Gene Forman ’67 has earned distinction as the inaugural recipient of the Linfield Athletics Inspiration Award.
 
A three-sport standout from Toledo, Wash., Forman turned out for the Wildcat baseball team as an outfielder and pitcher, and also played junior varsity basketball under legendary coach Ted Wilson during his sophomore season. But the gridiron is where the 6-foot-4 athlete found the most success at Linfield.
 
Lining up as offensive tackle, Forman was a two-year varsity letterwinner for the Wildcats, helping Linfield claim back-to-back Northwest Conference championships and advancing to the 1965 Champion Bowl. He was an all-league pick as a senior, and with one year of eligibility remaining, intended to return to Linfield in the fall of 1966.
 
Leading up to his final season, he split time between Newberg, Ore., where he had joined the National Guard at the encouragement of the Dallas Cowboys, and Longview, Wash., where he pitched for a semi-professional baseball club. Driving home from a game late one night in August, he fell asleep at the wheel and ran off the road, suffering a broken neck in the resulting car accident.
 
Admittedly fairly naïve about the situation, Forman told Linfield head football coach Paul Durham he still planned to play the next season, despite the fact doctors had told him he was unlikely to regain movement below the chest, and certainly would never play football again.
 
Throughout his hospitalization and rehabilitation, Forman never recalled having a “Why me?” moment, and remembered an inspiring day when he regained some flexion in his left leg. Surrounded by supportive family and friends, Forman grew accustomed to life in a wheelchair, including a gifted hand-controlled vehicle that granted him greater independence.
 
Forman finished his rehabilitation in late winter and returned to Linfield to complete his teaching degree in the spring of 1967. That fall, he served as a graduate assistant as Linfield went 8-1 en route to a co-Northwest Conference championship. That coaching stint was the beginning of a lengthy and successful career for Forman, who had been considering the option even before his accident. In fact, he got his start as a student, helping to coach youth track in nearby Lafayette during the spring of 1966.
 
Coaching eight-man football at Riddle High School and Days Creek, Forman amassed nearly 180 victories in 30-plus years at the small Class 1A schools located in southern Oregon. He twice guided his programs to the state championship final, helping the Irish and Wolves to runner-up finishes in 1981 and 1996, respectively.
 
He was a multiple recipient of coach of the year honors, and also organized a youth day camp for many years, of which the counselors included coaches from the University of Oregon, Western Oregon and Southern Oregon.
 
Despite having opportunities to coach elsewhere, Forman never elected to move to the larger-school ranks.
 
“The relationships you build, and the players you get a chance to work with are about as good a thing as any,” Forman said recently. “I don’t believe grass is greener on the other side of the fence.”
 
Teaching multiple subjects to students at both the junior high and high school levels, Forman proved to be a versatile and effective teacher. While at Days Creek, he also coached track and served as president of the Oregon Athletic Coaches Association for the 2000-01 academic year. He retired in 2006, but was convinced to come back for one more season before hanging up the clipboard for good.
 
Forman and his wife of 25 years, Jackie, recently relocated to Dallas, Ore. His extended family includes two stepdaughters, Misty and Cara, and five grandchildren.