Doak Honored With Legend Award
The 2024 Tri-Rivers Legend from Milan started making an impact on Milan Athletics in 1997 when he started coaching his daughter Hillary’s summer T-ball team. He has been on the baseball diamond and the sidelines of the basketball court countless times since, coaching not only his own children, but often volunteering his time for kids that aren’t his, including this summer when he helped coach his grandson, Machlin’s T-ball team. Milan’s Tri-Rivers Legend is Mr. Harry Doak.
Harry’s extensive volunteerism isn’t just as a coach, he has also served as a board member for various organizations. As a member of the Milan Rec Association, Harry spent summers on the baseball/softball diamond coaching as well as helping to organize other teams, practice schedules, umpires, and field maintenance. In the winter months when Milan Rec slowed down, he found time to be in the gym with various basketball teams. Between running their ranch, their vet clinic, and raising 4 children of their own, Harry and his wife Lisa made sure that any kid that wanted to play had the opportunity. Many a young athlete has piled into one of the Doak vehicles to get the chance to play and somehow managed to make it back home with their bellies full as well. There’s not a dollar amount that can be paid to make up for the impact Harry and Lisa have had on countless young athletes.
Harry and Lisa’s enthusiasm for athletics was reciprocated in each of their four children: Hillary was a member of the 2006 Ladycat Softball team that made it to the Elite 8, Zack played for two 10-0 Wildcat Football teams that took the Conference Championship in 2012 and 2013, Kyley played on the District Championship Ladycat Basketball team in 2012, and Quinn played on two District Champion basketball teams including the Elite-8 Wildcat Basketball team in 2017-2018. Make no mistake, the love for the game and discipline required to be a part of each of the previously mentioned teams was a direct effect of being a child of Harry and Lisa.
Harry began coaching at Milan C-2 as a junior high girls basketball coach. His positive attitude and energy for the game spread into his players. He continued to coach the girls even when his daughter moved into high school. He also began his nine years of service on the school board at that time, so all of his years spent coaching for Milan C-2 were volunteer hours as he did not get paid to coach those teams. He continued his coaching career, moving to the high school as an assistant boy’s basketball coach. It was during his years of volunteering as a coach for the school that he also began writing about sports for the local newspaper, The Milan Standard. Harry’s articles covered baseball, softball, football, and basketball and were something that athletes, fans, and their parents looked forward to after each contest! He loved to highlight the achievements of young Wildcats so much that The Standard actually requested he shorten his articles–Harry had too many good things to say! He still attends games or watches the films so he can compile stats and game information to write his articles.
Harry, and his wife Lisa, have been long-standing pillars of the Milan C-2 community and Wildcat athletics of all ages for many years. It doesn’t matter which gym they’re walking into or which field they are on the other side of the fence from, all of the true fans and sports broadcasters from both teams know who they are and make sure to say hello. Please join us in a round of applause to thank Harry Doak for his long-time service and commitment to the athletes of Milan C-2 Schools.
