Remembering a legend: Budge inspired, taught many

WASHINGTON TERRACE — It was such a simple gesture, but it spoke volumes about a man that was more than a coach or a teacher.

Late into Wednesday evening, the light that sits beneath the football scoreboard at Bonneville High School was turned on as a symbol of how much a man could truly mean to a community.

The Bonneville Lakers lost a truly great man and a true Laker Wednesday as former head football coach Thom Budge suffered a massive heart attack at his home. He was 65.

Budge taught for 30 years at Bonneville and spent most of those as the influential head coach who patrolled the sidelines. While he taught math, he was known mostly for his desire to mold and shape young minds on and off the football field.

“He was an excellent teacher and a great coach,” Fremont football coach Kory Bosgieter said. “But more than that, he was a better person and those types of people are hard to find. What he did was create an atmosphere that allowed young men to succeed and that type of person is someone that you will always play hard for. He was a master teacher and coach because he could do both on the football field.”

Bosgieter was one of many former players, who expressed their feelings on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Earlier this evening, I received a phone call from Andy Ludwig (offensive coordinator at the University of Utah last year and now at California) and he had a few kind words to say about Thom,” Bonneville athletic director Mae Miya said. “Thom’s influence on kids goes everywhere and Andy was the first to say that ‘he was shocked and saddened by the events of Thom’s passing. I (Ludwig) took many of the things that I learned from him and use those still in the offenses that I run. He was a great man and a great coach.”

“What a better way for someone like that to be remembered than to have former players and now busy coaches calling to express their sincere apologies for his passing and to always remember where they came from,” Miya said.

The staff at Bonneville had parent-teacher conferences Wednesday night and a somber mood was felt by many in attendance. That attitude even carried to the BYU campus, where former Laker player Andrew Rich spoke of his former coach and mentor.

“I got a bunch of texts from people the entire day, but I found out from my dad (Danny Rich, also a former player of Budge in the late 70s),” said Rich, starting safety for the Cougars. “It’s kind of surreal. I just saw him less than a month ago and talked to him and (his wife Linda). I took a little time to reflect on how much he influenced me and the way I play right now and all I could come up with was how grateful I was that a coach at a tradition-rich school like Bonneville could give an underclassman a chance to play and prove myself and that he trusted me enough to learn and make plays for him.”

“I never once heard him raise his voice,” Bosgieter said. “I remember one time he yelled at me, but it was quiet and all he said was ‘that ball should have been caught.’ And it wasn’t even yelling. He said it so casually that his tone never was degrading and it always made you play harder for him and the team.”

Budge spent his entire coaching career with the Lakers that spanned 1975 to 2005. He finished with a glossy 237-104 record, including 14 region titles and one state 4-A championship in 1980.

He finally retired from teaching and coaching in 2006, and ranks second in Utah state history for all-time victories and the all-time games coached list, behind Skyline’s Roger DuPaix.

Tonight, Bonneville hosts Ogden in a Region 5 game. In Budge’s memory, the Laker players will wear stickers on their helmets, and the initials ‘TB’ will be painted in the end zones. Fans will also observe a moment of silence as well before the opening kickoff.

“We are trying to plan some other things, but for now, they are on hold until we can figure out what is appropriate,” Miya said. “We want to have something here at the school, but we want it to be soon and we should be able to let everyone know what it is as soon as possible. The community and school and the area for that matter lost a great man today. And today (Wednesday) we lost one of the greatest Lakers of all time.”

Budge was known for asking players to “pay the price.” Many alumni plan to wear their “Pay the Price” T-shirts to tonight’s game.

“Countless young men owe a great deal to this gentle giant. More than a coach, he was a teacher,” said former player Troy Dixon, who now coaches a youth team in the Wasatch Football League. “May his legacy continue to be felt by those in our football community.”

In June 2008, Marland Turner, the longtime wash-and-dry man for Budge and fixture on the Bonneville sidelines, passed away. Budge noted in his talk during Turner’s funeral that he hoped that Marland could leave a light on for him when he got to heaven himself.

Laker fans hope that the light left on behind the Wallace and Thom Budge Field scoreboard helped guide him on his way.

Funeral services are set for 11 a.m. on Monday at the North Ogden Stake Center. A viewing will be held 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Sunday night, and 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Monday as well.