Submitted photo: Hall of Fame football coach Koy Goodchild of West Bend-Mallard sits with his wife, Lori, their children and spouses earler this season.

WEST BEND — Koy Goodchild created a culture that everyone bought into and everyone believed in.

It was about so much more than football. It stood for relationships he cultivated with teenage student-athletes that extended through to when they became men in their 40s and 50s.

Goodchild passed away Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

“We lost a great one down here, but heaven just got a lot better,” said Iowa Central athletic director and long-time friend Kevin Twait.

The love for football and their coach ran deep through everyone that put on a purple and gold uniform at West Bend-Mallard.

“Goody had a reputation to the point of being otherworldly. It was like he walked on water for us,” said current West Bend-Mallard athletic director and and football coach Tyson Wirtz. “We had all the respect for him, and we all believed in him and the success. It was his essence.

“He was fun and lovable. We followed unconditionally.”

The admiration for the Hall of Fame legend — who coached football for 25 memorable seasons — extended to the classroom, where he taught for 41 years and was WB-M’s athletic director before he retired in 2021.

Goodchild started his coaching career in 1980 — the first season West Bend had combined with rival Mallard as a consolidated program. His first year as head coach was the following season.

Former St. Edmond and Manson Northwest Webster head coach Jeff Anliker was a senior during Goodchild’s inaugural campaign at WB-M.

“My senior year we went 8-0 and faced Graettinger, who was also 8-0. They beat us, but neither one of us made the playoffs,” Anliker said. “Coach Goody believed in faith, family and football, and he loved people.

“He was an outstanding dad, husband, grandpa and football coach.”

Goodchild went on to earn a career record of 229-38 for an impressive 85.7 winning percentage.

“The way he created the culture was bigger than the game,” Wirtz said. “We were playing for the number. In the weight room, he had a board with jersey numbers on it. Under the number were names of all-district players that wore those numbers.

“It was so we recognized the kids who came before you, and made you think about the ones who’d be coming after you.”

Goodchild guided the Wolverines to four state championships, while also leading two semifinal teams and 17 playoff squads overall. Under Goodchild, the Wolverines won 15 conference/district titles.

“He always preached working hard and developing a strong work ethic,” Anliker said. “A kid may not have any athletic ability, but we were going to work harder than anybody else.

“The guy knew football. He would take a farm kid and get them to believe. He was special.”

Wirtz played two seasons with Goodchild, and was on his championship team in 2004. When he became AD at WB-M, Wirtz would communicate regularly with his coach.

“I used a lot from him over the last five years as far as logistics and drills,” Wirtz said. “I met with him and talked to him every week about the offensive line and little stuff.

“I had the advantage of taking over for him as AD, and we got to talk about the double tight power run up that he developed in his basement. I would say to him, ‘you’re probably getting tired of talking to me.’ He said he was never tired of talking about football.”

Goodchild led the Wolverines to their first state title in 1994 and added two more in back-to-back seasons of 1998 and 1999. His last came in 2004.

Mitch Montag, who was on the 2004 championship squad, remembered a lot of Goodchild’s wisdom.

“A defining credo of Coach Goodchild on and off the field was, ‘Commitment to Excellence’ and, ‘It’s a great day to get better,'” Montag said. “He had a remarkable ability to inspire and motivate those around him. Winning was always a goal, but it was just as much a byproduct of the life lessons instilled regarding integrity, hard work, discipline and working together as a team.

“These lessons all served me well throughout life, which — like football — is never easy. I will never forget the hot two-a-day practices all the way through the frozen practice field in November. I was blessed to have been such a small part of such a great tradition.”

Brian Ruppert played for Goodchild from 2000-2003, and later got to coach with him.

“I helped coach the 2004 and 2005 teams,” Ruppert said. “He instilled hard work and dedication to my goals in whatever I was doing. I will always remember he would say, ‘don’t worry about what should have been done.’

“What I will always remember about him is he always treated everyone the same, whether you were a player or a student. He always had a smile on his face.”

Current Iowa Central president Jesse Ulrich played on the 1998 and 1999 championship teams.

“With Coach, things didn’t have to be complicated,” said Ulrich, a 2000 WB-M graduate. “How we ran the ball and how we prepared for a game. It didn’t matter who was on the other side of the ball…we got ourselves to work harder and prepare better than the other team.

“Coach Goodchild was timeless. He was all about relationships, and was a father figure for me and many others.”

Ulrich took a lot with him from the time he spent around Goodchild.

“Players would keep in contact with him, whether with his kids or (Koy’s wife) Lori. When they were back in town, it was special when you saw him,” Ulrich said. “He was such a positive influence on the community. Everyone loved him.”

Goodchild retired from high school football in 2005. He then joined legendary Iowa Central coach Kevin Twait’s staff. Goodchild coached the tight ends, and later, the offensive line for the Tritons. He spent eight seasons there.

While coaching at Iowa Central, Twait would monitor the West Bend-Mallard roster on the recruiting trail.

“You build relationships and know what DNA you are looking for, and when you got a young man from Coach Goodchild, you knew he would be ready,” Twait said. “We had the great fortune to Coach a lot of his guys (at ICCC). With their tenacity and the way those young men practiced, there was little doubt they would be good.

“We had guys like Brad Ruppert, Mitch Bonstetter, and his son, Kole. What a treat for him to join our staff.

“The best thing was when younger kids would dream about playing for him. When you got to be a freshman and play for Coach Goodchild, it was a treat.”

Players under Goodchild, who would often later become coaches down the road, usually grabbed something from his playbook. That also extended to coaches who were on the opposite sidelines.

Current Bishop Garrigan head coach Marty Waddle and the Golden Bears were in the same district as the Wolverines in 1992 and 1993.

“I used his old standard halfback and tailback loaded on one side,” Waddle said. “We called it our box formation, with three backs that made a box in the back field.We put some different wrinkles in there.

“Coach Goodchild will definitely be missed.”

When his Golden Bears played the Wolverines, Waddle had the utmost respect for the WB-M program.

“His kids played hard, with that quick-huddle offense,” Waddle said. “We tried, but it was tough to simulate in practice. We spent as much time as we could working on that.”

Waddle always kept in touch with Goodchild through the years.

“We spent time together at clinics. When we would talk, he would give you help with anything,” Waddle said. “He coached and led the right way.”