LISBON

There were several emotions after Saturday’s State Class D high school football game at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland.

There was the obvious — the tough, last-second 20-14 loss the Lisbon Greyhounds suffered against Maine Central Institute. The last game is always tough, no matter when it ends for the team that came out on the short end. There are the heartfelt good-byes, knowing most will never suit up together again.

For Lisbon and longtime head coach Dick Mynahan, along with his more than usual entourage seen after most games, there were other emotions streaming down from the grandstands last Saturday night, as upwards of 80 Mynahan family members and friends were there.

First and foremost, Dick felt for his kids, the ones that come together every single year in July for 7- on-7 football, followed by steamy August conditions with two-a-day practices. Then, there is the opener, early September and likely a hot, humid day as the Greyhounds take Thompson Field in their black uniforms, ready to sweat, bleed and do whatever it takes.

Back in July, Dick told me that the 2016 season was going to be his last on the Lisbon sideline. To be honest, I chuckled a bit. This was not the first time that Dick hinted at stepping aside as the Greyhounds leader.

But, this year was different. Dick joked that his wife of 46 years, Reine, had told him this was it. On top of that, Dick has five growing grandchildren, three who live in Medfield, Mass., with Dick’s son Richard Jr., and two to daughter Rebecca Madden, who lives close to Dick’s home in Lewiston.

“My granddaughter down south is 16 and an athlete, and I want to be able to see her compete, something I am unable to do much of during the football season.”

That is when it struck home, that this season was it, the last year we were going to see Dick’s magic on the sideline, a man capable of taking a team that seems to have no chance of winning into a squad of football players playing on the same page, playing the game the right way and somehow, someway coming out on top more times than not.

For those that Dick Mynahan has touched over the years — whether it is the nosy newspaper reporter looking for a quote after a tough loss or a thrilling victory, to his players, to the flock of well wishers waiting to chat with the legend after a game — Saturday was an end of an era as Dick stood on a Lisbon sideline as a Greyhounds head coach for the final time.

For 30 years, Dick has led Lisbon football as the team’s head coach. Dick’s record speaks for itself — 205-89, three state championships, two other state final appearances, numerous regional finals, along with hard-working playoff teams year after year after year.

But there is more, a lot more, to discuss about this man who has touched so many, a man that has helped mold young men through his football teachings, along with his years in the classroom at Sugg Middle School.

The beginning

Dick, 71, made his athletic mark at Lewiston High School, playing football, hockey, some baseball and running a little bit of track. After graduating, he left Maine and headed to college at Salem State in Massachusetts, playing college hockey.

After graduating, a golden opportunity brought Dick back to Maine.

“My brother gave me an opportunity to buy his house, and there was an opening to teach in Lisbon and a coaching position available.”

Teaching social studies and math at Sugg, Dick became aware quickly who the football players were as they headed up the ranks to high school, hoping to become a Greyhound. However, competition wasn’t just on the football field. Dick coached middle school basketball, and along with teaching partners and Lisbon football coaches John Murphy and his brother John Mynahan, taught in the same wing.

During those years, their students took part in the end of the year Field Day track competition. The competition was fierce.

“It was Team Mynahan versus Team R. Mynahan vs. Team Murphy and it was extremely competitive,” remembered former Lisbon athletic director, assistant football coach and current Brunswick AD Jeff Ramich. “We all wanted to win, it was a battle.”

Dick coached the freshman and jayvee football teams at the high school and assisted former varsity coach Joe Woodhead, who led the Greyhounds from 1961 until stepping down after the 1986 season.

“I worked a long time with Joe, just a great coach. I remember one time talking in the equipment room near the end of his coaching time and he said he appreciated that no one on his teams had a real bad injury in practice. We worked hard to never have a kid injured in practice, something we carry on today. We worked on conditioning, tackling the right way, but we created conditions that were for learning, not for hard hits and injuries. We saved the physical stuff for the game.”

“We normally had kids that stood 5-foot-6, 5-foot-7, maybe 5-foot- 8, around 150, 160, 170 pounds,” said Ramich. “We would face these huge teams from Livermore Falls, Jay. But, Dick would say things to boost us up. You would watch Dick get inside players’ heads. He always brought the most prepared team into a game, always knowing what the other teams would run. I remember many times that our opponents would be so frustrated because we knew what they were going to run because Dick had us practice it all week. He always put players into positions to succeed.”

Dick’s passion was preparing his team for battle.

“For me, I love coaching the teams in games that we are not supposed to be in. To me, the first half is the coach’s strategy, the game plan. The second half, the better team usually wins. I loved coming up with the strategy, preparing the practice plan for that upcoming week. Then getting out on the field and putting together the game plan.”

According to Ramich, Dick’s practice plans are down to the letter — seven minutes for this drill, two minutes for the next, then 11 minutes on another drill.

“Everything was mapped out precisely, something I learned as his assistant (1996- 2000),” said Ramich.

A consistent coaching staff was another facet of a Dick Mynahan team. When Ramich came aboard to assist, there was Dick, Murphy and current Oak Hill head coach Stacen Doucette. Former Greyhound Randy Ridley joined the fold as a volunteer coach in 1999 before becoming a full-time assistant.

“With that consistency with our coaching, you would meet on a Sunday and nothing really needed to be explained. We all knew our role. When you have coaching like that, with that experience, it makes things easier.”

“Dick is a no-frills kind of coach, with high expectations of how to play the position,” said Ridley, who coached the defense until stepping aside after the 2014 season. “Dick would let you know when you made a mistake, and then when you made a good play, he was there too. He is just a fantastic motivator, and really hasn’t changed a bit. He has those same expectations — for each of his players to give all that they have.”

“I played defensive end and cornerback for Dick (1992- 93),” said current Lisbon AD/vice principal Eric Hall. “He always put his players into positions to help them thrive. In this day and age, being a coach for 30 years just doesn’t happen. He will always be ‘Coach’ to me.”

Dick’s approach during a game was easy. He never pointed a finger at the referees. If things didn’t go the Greyhounds’ way, Dick pointed the finger at himself.

“If things didn’t work for us, that was my fault, not the refs. I didn’t allow my coaches to argue with the officials. We won lots of sportsmanship awards at Lisbon, and many times the referees would come up to me and say how respectful my teams were.”

“Dick molded me over the years into the coach that I am today,” said Ridley, who has led the Lisbon baseball team for several years. “I was reactionary back then, and I have mellowed out over the years thanks to Dick. I have learned when to pick my spots, and I try to be supportive, just like Dick.”

“For over 40 years, Dick has shown the utmost class,” added Ramich. “Win, lose or draw, Dick will shake your hand, say you played a good game and give credit where credit is due.

Good memories

There are several Lisbon teams that Mynahan calls “his favorite.”

“We were in the Campbell Conference and we played teams like York, Wells, Kennebunk, Mountain Valley. We had teams that I called ‘22 Strong.’ They were a small group of kids who always worked hard. Of the starting 11, I think 10 were in the top of their class.

“The state teams were special, but for me it was the teams that maybe weren’t as successful. They always gave it their all. I enjoyed going into a game where many didn’t give us a shot and we either came out on top or pushed the other team to the limit. For me, it was never about the wins and losses, but the way that we played and the effort that was given. Those are my favorite memories.”

Dick remembered a 2006 home game against Class C power Mattanawcook Academy. Here was a team that arrived at Thompson Field on three buses, with nearly 100 players suited up for action. On the other side, 30 Lisbon players, clad in their black uniforms, worked on the basics in the sweltering heat.

Lisbon had no chance, right? Final score — Lisbon 27, Mattanawcook Academy 0!

“They had two huge inside linebackers. So every play in the first half, we ran a sweep. By the second quarter, they were slowing down and we were in great shape. I was worried about that game, thinking we had no chance. But, we won.”

Lisbon went on to capture the State Class C title that year, downing Foxcroft Academy, 30-14 for Dick’s third state championship, all coming against the Ponies. Lisbon also won titles in 1997 and 2005.

Mynahan was there when Ramich went from teacher and assistant football coach to his boss as Lisbon’s AD in 2001.

“Dick came into my office after I got the AD job at Lisbon and we had a nice discussion,” said Ramich, who remembered the conversation. “He said, ‘I am now your employee and if you need anything from me or we need to have a tough conversation, I will be there.’ He didn’t want special treatment, just wanted to be treated like all the other coaches at Lisbon. That made me feel amazing, and that was the way it was with all of our longtime coaches, like Dean Hall and Hank Fuller. It was an honor to be in that position.

“I have looked up to Dick my whole life. He is just not a mentor, but a good friend. There is no better family than the Mynahans.”

Hall, who took over Lisbon’s athletic department in 2014, had a similar experience.

“Our talks were always positive,” said Hall. “Every day we would have a conversation, checking on the status of the team. Dick is the type of guy who is very positive and always does the right thing for his team. He knows the game inside and out.”

“You can’t count the amount of lives he has touched,” added Ridley. “For Dick, it has never been about wins or losses, Xs and Os. I have such great memories, but what stands out is that he is always a gentleman. He shows how a gentleman should act. To me, he is a mentor, a teacher of men.”

The end

Dick’s final Lisbon team certainly provided him with the ride of lifetime this year. After falling 31-12 in the opener to Winthrop/Monmouth, the Greyhounds reeled off eight straight wins, including a thrilling 20-17 last-second Class D South regional final win over those same Ramblers.

Then came Saturday’s State Class D final. The Lisbon offense adjusted in the second quarter, just like it had on countless occasions throughout Dick’s coaching tenure, as quarterback Tyler Halls carved up the Huskies defense, scoring twice and giving the Greyhounds a 14-0 halftime lead.

MCI came back, tying the game in the fourth quarter. Lining up for a potential game-winning field goal, the MCI holder fumbled the snap, but picked up the loose ball and scampered to the end zone on the game’s final play. Lisbon players and fans were stunned, but Dick quickly gathered his team, shook every single MCI player’s hand and congratulated MCI coach Tom Bertrand.

“I thought we got beat by a good team. They went down the field, from their own 2- yard line, and scored. There quarterback worried us, and every time he went back into a shot-gun formation, I held my breath. He made people miss him. You always needed more than one person to bring him down. I enjoy watching good athletes, not just from our team but from our opponents.

“I told our kids, ‘don’t worry about winning or losing. If we practice hard and do our best, then be satisfied with what you have accomplished.’

“This year’s squad was a different type of team. They wanted the state championship, and every day they backed it up. No one missed a practice. On Mondays we run, doing pursuit drills, and most years that is a practice players will miss. On those days we run 100 or more plays, but they were always there, ready to work. When you have that, you can follow through on a plan and get the team ready easier.”

Dick said knowing this was his last year prior to the season beginning made it a bit easier.

“It was easy because I knew this was going to be my last season. This year went by in a flash. I think the last week was more difficult, knowing that Friday was the last practice and Saturday was the last game. But, this year’s team made it so much fun, just because they were a hard-working group of players.”

There were a couple moments when Dick caught himself thinking about the end.

“This past Sunday, I didn’t have the heart to clean out my work area. Even after the Saturday loss, a time that I didn’t feel too good, everyone was here at the house, just like 15 years ago. It didn’t take long to bring back a lot of great memories.”

“I think Dick will miss watching the game films Sunday mornings while on his elliptical, meeting with his coaches at 10 a.m. and going over a game plan until 1 p.m.,” said Ramich.

“It is surreal for me right now, and will be more so come August when we are discussing a first-year coach. I think that is when it will hit home for many of us,” said Halls.

Dick thanked the Lisbon football community, from his former players to the fans who attend games every week.

“I was amazed at the support at the state game. Not sure where all those people came from, but it was great.”

In closing

There have been greats that as sports reporters we get to talk to each and every week during a sports season.

Here in the Mid-coast, there is Peter Gardner, Fuller, Hall, Rick Renaud, just to name a few, men who have sacrificed time away from their own families to mold young men and women for not just years, but decades.

Dick Mynahan is right up there, a gentleman who always gives everything that he has.

Maybe it is just a small thing, but when a coach takes the time to walk up to you on the sideline, puts his hand out and asks how things are going, that is special. No matter if it was a tough loss or a thrilling victory, Dick was always giving, pulling away from his large gathering of family and friends to answer every single question with class.

When attending a Lisbon football game, it feels just like a reunion. There is Murphy, the Mynahan clan, former players, on the field, looking for their chance to congratulate Dick.

For this story, I spoke to former players and assistant coaches. Trust me when I tell you, their emotions came out while answering my questions. Doesn’t that say something about this great coach? I sure think it does.

I will miss seeing Dick on the Lisbon sideline. Not just because he is a great coach with successful teams year-in and year-out, but because he knows how to treat people.

I can say this with certainty. Next September, I will look toward that Lisbon sideline and miss seeing Dick there. It will be, in using Hall’s words, “surreal!”

BOB CONN is The Times Record sports editor. He can be reached at bconn@timesrecord.com.