Submitted photo: Cousins Eric Goodman (left) and Thomas Hartley stand together before a recent Iowa City West baseball game. Goodman is the youngest grandson of Fort Dodge’s Tom and Joan Tibbitts; Thomas is the oldest.

IOWA CITY — Tom and Joan Tibbitts are like most proud grandparents.

For well over 20 years, the Fort Dodge couple has traveled all across Iowa — and even the midwest – to watch their nine grandchildren compete and perform.

Their story took a unique twist this summer, though, as a deep local connection established new roots on the baseball field at Iowa City West High School.

Tom and Joan’s oldest grandson, Thomas Hartley, is the head sophomore coach for the Trojans on the diamond. One of Thomas’s standout players, Eric Goodman, happens to be the youngest grandson of the Tibbitts crew.

Hartley is the son of Fort Dodge’s Bruce and Tracy Hartley. Goodman is the son of FDSH graduates Jay and Jill (Tibbitts) Goodman.

“Of course you’re aware of (the tie) and appreciate it anyway (as a grandpa), but every once in a while, it just kind of dawns on you how special this situation truly is,” Tom Tibbitts said. “It hit me again just the other day, thinking about it while watching one of (West’s) games and seeing Thomas and Eric both out there.

“You hear about mothers and fathers coaching their sons or daughters. But how often do you have an oldest grandson coaching a youngest grandson? We’re very blessed to be a part of it.”

The Fort Dodge ties are everywhere in this particular situation. Thomas is a 2015 FDSH graduate and a former Dodger athlete. Eric’s other grandparents, Tom and Connie Goodman, are both former Dodgers as well and 1965 grads. Tom and Jay Goodman were all-state basketball players at Fort Dodge, and Tom coached Jay and his teammates to the school’s lone boys state basketball championship in 1988.

The connections here aren’t just familial, as West’s head coach, Jamie O’Meara, was a long-time Dodger baseball assistant under Matt Elsbecker before moving to Iowa City.

“It’s just been so fun,” said Tibbitts, retired CEO of Trinity Regional Medical Center. “We’ve been all over the map, both location-wise and with the different (activities) the grandkids have been involved in. It’s almost like a full-time job, but we’ve loved it all.

“We are very proud Fort Dodgers, having all three of our girls graduate from (Senior High) after being active themselves when they were in high school. This (connection) has a few extra twists and turns, given the Goodman side as well and everything they accomplished at Fort Dodge through the years. To see Thomas and Eric on the same field together has been fantastic and a real treat for us. We make a lot of trips down there and stay quite a bit in (the) Iowa City (area, where daughters Jill and Jennifer both live).”

Thomas Hartley – who was named after Tom Tibbitts – actually started mapping this opportunity out years ago, when he first joined the West staff as the sophomore head coach in 2021.

“It’s a funny story…I remember sitting at one of Joey’s games (Eric’s older brother) when Eric was in fourth grade. It was my first year with West. And Eric said, ‘are you going to make it to all of my games someday?'” Hartley recalled. “When Jamie reached out and asked if I’d be the sophomore coach, I thought it would be a tremendous opportunity – not just for myself at the time, but to maybe someday be Eric’s coach. Now here we are.

“Eric and I worked for a number of summers getting him ready and closer to playing high school baseball. It’s been great coaching him, and I’m not just saying that as an older cousin. He’s a hard worker and does everything we ask, and he’s developed into a really solid ballplayer.”

The 16-year-old Goodman is currently batting over .400 for the Trojans, who are an impressive 24-7 on the season. Goodman leads the squad – and is closing in on the sophomore record – in doubles, while ranking second in RBI.

The 29-year-old Hartley and his wife, Lauren, live in Iowa City. Hartley is currently a teacher in the Highland Community School District, located in nearby Riverside.

“It’s funny: my dad always told me there are three outcomes when you coach a relative (Bruce Hartley was a long-time teacher, administrator and coach in the Fort Dodge Community School District),” Thomas laughed. “They’re either so good that no one questions it, so bad that it’s obvious you’re playing favorites, or somewhere in between.

“Fortunately for me here, Eric has made my job look easy.”

One of Tibbitts’ favorite memories came during a lighter moment at a West game earlier this season.

“Bruce and I started playfully giving Thomas a bad time (from the stands),” Tibbitts said, “and Thomas responded, ‘anything more from the cheap seats and I’ll have to make sure they’re thrown out.’

“We’ll have so many enjoyable memories from this period of time. We love all of our kids and grandkids and are very fortunate to be close enough to share all of these experiences with them.”

Tom and Joan Tibbitts celebrated both 60 years of marriage and their 80th birthdays in 2025. The couple has lived in Fort Dodge since 1974. While Jill and Jennifer are both in the Iowa City area, Tracy – the oldest Tibbitts sister – is still teaching business at Fort Dodge Senior High, where she has worked for over 30 years.