Jack Armstrong was hired as the head football coach at ORHS in 1995 at the tender age of 30 years old. Within two years, he and his charges won their first state football championship. Our dad lived, breathed, and dreamed ORHS football – unintentionally carving X’s and O’s into our dining room table upon waking in the wee hours with a new formation or strategy that he would fervently record on paper for the next day’s practice. He built a powerhouse based on what he believed to be the basics of a winner: pride, discipline, self-respect, and dependability as a team member. However, winning was not the “end all” to him; as it seemed, he almost preferred the lessons he could teach them after a loss over the glory of a win – focusing on teamwork as the primary goal.

– Nancy Armstrong, daughter of Jack Armstrong