Lynn Anderson Reflects on 47 Years at Oakwood: Retirement Doesn’t Mean Goodbye
By FRED KRONER
Retirement is a word that is easier for some people to define than to put into practice.
It can occur the literal way it is defined in the Webster Dictionary, “withdrawal from one’s occupation or position or from active working life.”
It can happen when a person reaches a certain age or has a specified number of years on the job.
That method doesn’t work for everyone. Some folks prefer to enter their retirement years at a slower pace, either by taking ample time to reduce their workload or maybe replacing one job with another that is less stressful or has fewer hours.
Oakwood’s Lynn Anderson is taking a circuitous route to having more leisure time in her life.
A central Illinois coaching icon for the past 47 years, Anderson is taking the second step in reducing her workload.
The first occurred when she retired as a full-time teacher eight years ago. The second occurred on July 29, when she submitted her resignation as the Comets’ volleyball head coach, a position she held for the past 36 seasons.
That doesn’t mean the person who has coached a sport at Oakwood in parts of six decades is saying goodbye.
“If the (next) coach wants me and if the (school) board approves it, I’ve asked to be a volunteer coach,” Anderson said.
“I’m giving up the title (of head coach), but I’m not giving up the program.”
It wasn’t the first time that Anderson considered relinquishing the reigns of the program that she directed to a state tournament appearance in 2000.
She had what she thought would be a perfect coaching replacement in 2014. Former Comet Any (Martin) Johnson was graduating from Eastern Illinois University, where she played volleyball all four years.
“She was my first option,” Anderson said.
When she contacted her former player, Anderson learned that Johnson wanted an elementary school teaching position. None were available in the Oakwood district when they spoke.
“The next day (following their conversation), a position opened up here,” Anderson recalled.
She contacted Johnson immediately to share the new development.
“She said she had just committed to Westville,” Anderson said.
Johnson was honored at the faith Anderson had in her coaching potential.
“Honestly, going through college, I had my eye on Oakwood,” Johnson said. “That was my goal. I was raised and graduated from there.”
And yet – despite having Anderson as her coach in three sports all four years she attended Oakwood High School – Johnson declined the overture.
“It was tempting,” Johnson said, “because I had such a great experience there.
“It came down to Westville beat Oakwood to it (with an offer).”
In truth, it came down to more than that one fact.
Johnson’s decision was based on being tutored and mentored by a high school coach whose emphasis was not simply on the won-loss record, but in helping teen-agers prepare for their futures while instilling values and ethics that would last a lifetime.
“You could talk to her about anything,” Johnson said. “Everyone who knew her would say that. During high school, I felt close to her.
“After high school, I was still drawn to her, still wanted to be in contact with her and I still look up to her (now), 14 years after I graduated from Oakwood.”
A coach who preached commitment and setting an example, not only did not try to change Johnson’s mind, she also didn’t let it affect their friendship.
“She didn’t pressure me,” Johnson said, “and as I got into Westville and got the head coaching position (in volleyball), she still mentored me.
“There were never any negative feelings. She makes you feel so comfortable.”
Anderson remembers the conversation with Johnson about seeking the Oakwood position.
“She was very respectful and said, ‘I can’t do that to Westville,’” Anderson said. “I understood.
“That was my first chance to try and hand it (volleyball program) over to someone who would be good for the program.
“I wasn’t going to turn it over to anybody.”
That’s why Anderson continued coaching – continued mentoring, continued encouraging – the Oakwood program.
Seth Miller, Westville’s superintendent, can relate to the feelings of both Anderson and Johnson.
He is a former Oakwood teacher and coach and was on staff when the volleyball team posted three consecutive 20-win seasons and reached the IHSA state tournament with a still-standing school-record season win total of 29.
“Juice (Anderson’s nickname since the 1970s) was good at giving girls the chance to mature and grow into young women,” Miller said. “She enjoyed good sportsmanship, saying please and thank you more than the wins and losses, and did a good job keeping the girls rooted.
“I was impressed with how many former players had deep bonds and appreciation for her. It had a lot to do with her ability to help young girls mature and learn what it means to be part of a team.”
Zach Steele’s first year as the Oakwood athletic director – 2023-24 – turned out to be Anderson’s final year in charge of a volleyball program that had three different head coaches in a three-year span before she was hired prior to the 1988 campaign.
She followed Terry Goodner (1985), Bill Blair (1986) and John Keener (1987).
Steele quickly learned that Anderson’s legendary status was no myth.
They had an instant connection.
Steele grew up in Robinson, about a 20-minute trip from Marshall, where Anderson was raised on a farm.
Though she had worked with a variety of ADs over the years, Anderson was receptive to the newcomer.
“She was very welcoming,” Steele said, “very warm and positive. She never thought she was above anyone else.
“She was someone who handled things very professionally. She had been through many ADs, but treated me as an equal. She always ran things by me.”
Anderson was a visible presence as Steele was indoctrinating himself with the district.
“I started in my office in June (2023), and wherever I went, I’d see Juice,” Steele said, “whether it was in the gym with volleyball, the weight room with volleyball, walking food into the teacher’s lounge or I’d seeing her mowing the grounds.”
As Steele sorted through the four applicants who were interviewed for the vacant volleyball job, he relied on more than his feelings to make a decision that will be announced soon.
“I didn’t want to hire someone without her blessing,” he said, referring to Anderson.
For her part, Anderson encountered an unexpected response after word of her resignation began circulating.
“I didn’t think people would think something was wrong with me physically,” she said. “There is nothing (wrong) that I know of.”
What there is would be a coach handling things her way.
“It’s the best thing for the girls,” Anderson said. “I want someone younger and fresher.
“I am privileged to make the choice on my own without any outside influences. Every year has been enjoyable with the kids, whether we were winning or losing.
“There were more ups than downs. It was a great journey and I enjoyed it immensely.”
Anderson’s twin daughters – Candy King and Carrie Lutz – didn’t have advance notice of the impending retirement. That news was reserved for Steele and was subsequently shared with the returning Oakwood players following a round-robin scrimmage event at Seeger, Ind. on Monday (July 29).
Her daughters, however, were not shocked by the announcement.
“It didn’t catch me so off-guard that I wished I had been sitting down,” King said. “I hope people understand it was a very thoughtful decision.”
Lutz said the girls had laughingly talked in the past about their mom’s longevity and commitment.
“For a while, we wondered why she stayed in the game so long,” Lutz said. “We joked with her that she didn’t know what else to do.”
Without much searching, however, they knew the answer as to why.
“It helps keep her active and she has taken pride in the relationships,” Lutz said. “Not that she doesn’t enjoy winning, but it doesn’t motivate her like it does for other people.
“She finds so much energy from the younger generation to keep her going. Lean into your strengths and you can make a real impact.”
In true twin fashion, King echoed many of the same sentiments in a separate interview.
“Those that you impact will impact you as well,” King said.
Lynn Anderson also had an acceptance of input from others. She never felt like all of the responsibility was on her.
“So many leaders feel like they have to know it all,” Lutz said. “She was good at uniting people. It’s important when a leader has the perspective that they are in command, but have others who can help.
“For her, it was to know your strengths, stay in your lane and honor other folks whose strengths can help you succeed.”
One of those individuals was Dan Drye, the Armstrong-Potomac volleyball head coach as Candy and Carrie were helping bring the Oakwood High School program into statewide prominence.
“From eighth grade, we looked to him to fine-tune our technique,” Lutz said.
***
In her next-to-last regular-season match – Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023 at Danville Schlarman Academy – Anderson earned her 400th career victory with a 25-7, 25-13 sweep.
It’s a milestone she downplays.
“Some coaches reach that in 15 years,” she said.
Schools can now play 35 matches in the regular season, but when Anderson was a rookie coach, her teams didn’t play more than 18 matches until her sixth year on the sidelines.
For aspiring coaches, Anderson’s legacy will be hard to duplicate and virtually impossible to exceed.
As her 36-year head coaching tenure in volleyball ends, she will continue handling the Comets’ girls’ track and field team next spring. The upcoming track season will be her 47th with the sport at Oakwood, her 35th overall as head coach and her 33rd year in a row as the head coach.
Her commitment to track and field hasn’t yet exceeded her time with girls’ basketball. Anderson has been involved with that sport for 48 years, two as the head coach, 43 as an assistant and three as a stat-keeper … with the possibility of that stat-keeper role growing larger the 2024-25 season begins in November.
In 36 of her years at Oakwood, Anderson coached or was involved with three sports.
Regardless of the sport, the foundation of Anderson’s philosophy remained unchanged.
“Each year was a different experience, making the chemistry work,” she said. “It wasn’t the wins or losses, but preparing them for the future, growing as a person, committing to being on time and working with people they don’t necessarily run with.”
Her emphasis was obvious even for someone like Steele, who has only known Anderson for little more than a year.
“She always strived to do her best to win, but she deeply cared for her players and always tried to instill life lessons to make them better people,” Steele said.
Those points aren’t soon forgotten.
“She builds relationships and makes people feel comfortable,” Johnson said. “She’d take care of everyone. At our track meets, she’d have sandwiches and snacks.
“She sends Christmas cards and is very thoughtful. I keep all the letters she has written me. She is a great role model and mentor.”
As she became a mother – her daughters are now ages 5, 3 and 1 – Johnson relinquished her coaching duties to spend more time with family. She better understands that commitment Anderson made.
“I appreciate what she did for us,” Johnson said. “She had her daughters and sacrificed a lot of things for the community and the school.”
King said that both she and her sister understood their mom’s priorities.
“We never doubted how much she loved us,” King said, “but there were times she chose work over a volleyball match when we were (playing) in college.
“She’s a worker.”
Is there another active coach – or one who has not yet achieved that status – who one day will match the legacy of Anderson, who is approaching nearly a half-century of involvement in extra-curriculars at Oakwood?
Miller is willing to speculate.
“Juice represents the ‘old guard,’” Miller said. “She is reflective of a time we saw institutional pillars associated with a school, and what it meant.
“The old-guard people embodied that as part of their identity as well as their profession. It’s a dying breed who do it for five years, let alone 10 or 15 years.
“Has the time passed for 10- and 20-year coaches? I sure hope not, but we don’t see it much anymore. Juice has been in that mold for decades and should be commended and celebrated. I hope it is inspiring to young coaches and young professionals.”
During her tenure, Anderson has witnessed changes in volleyball beyond a new position – the libero – and rules that have been altered over the years.
“One of the major things is you can’t be as strict as you used to be,” Anderson said. “You used to have to run a mile in under 8 minutes to be on the team.
“Back in the day, we did a lot of conditioning.”
Besides track, Anderson is keeping two of her other jobs at Oakwood during the 2024-25 school year. She will teach two health classes and remain in place as the junior class sponsor.
She doesn’t expect to continue the pattern she followed as she left behind her full-time teaching job and the volleyball position.
“I didn’t want to end it all at once,” she said, “but it won’t be seven or eight years between for each (remaining) one. I’ll know when it is time. This is perfect for gradually going out.”
Miller is pleased that Anderson has more time to impact students in her Vermilion County school of approximately 300 students.
“She’s funny, she’s enthusiastic and she is still committed to Oakwood,” Miller said. “Because of how passionate she is for the kids, she is still what the school needs.
“She is so good at working with young people. Sometimes parents get caught up in the tactical part of coaching and don’t recognize the impact and influences.”
Steele is also appreciative of Anderson’s willingness to remain active at Oakwood.
“I told her, ‘Anything you can give us, we will take,’” he said. “The girls love her, the people in the school love her.
“She has run a strong, clean program and does the little things that it’s hard to find people to do. We are grateful she is still around.”
This season’s volleyball opener for Oakwood will be on Monday (Aug. 26) at home against LeRoy.
Volunteer coach Anderson won’t overstep her authority.
“I’ve told Zach not to worry,” Anderson said. “I won’t interfere.
“I will be there as a support system, not as someone who wants to run the show.”
As for how she will remember her former coach, Johnson has a simple – yet appropriate – response.
“She’s a super-hero,” Johnson said.
King seconded that notion and added, “Mom is Oakwood.”
