Gene Dagostini Class of 1969.
I was in the first 8th grade class at the new junior high, Millicoma!
I played football, basketball, softball, and track at Englewood Elementary. On to 7th grade at Marshfield Jr High where I was cut from basketball because I missed
the second day of tryouts due to showing up to an empty locker? Eighth grade I played football for Coach Kelly Hoy, and for the first time went out for wrestling, coached by Lynn Matthews.
MHS fall of 1964, 110 freshman went out for football. There were two teams, I was on coach Ray Thiess' Blue Jackets team, 3rd string TE, 5'7", 127 Ibs.
Sophomore year I was on the sophomore team coached by Stan Solomon. Junior year, on the JV team coached by Johnny Johnson and played 2 varsity downs that year. I had continued to wrestle and earned 3 varsity letters.
As a senior playing OT at 6'1'", 179 Ibs. for head coach Pete Susick. Senior year I was a unanimous 1st team all league selection. Two weeks later after the state semifinal win vs 1# David Douglas I was honored by making 1st team All-State at OT. Lost to Jesuit in the state championship game at unturfed Autzen stadium.
Senior year in wrestling, I won the district championship at 168 Ibs. coached by John Dustin and Lynn Matthews. Went on to state, lost 9-11 in the semi's, and came back and placed 4th. I was a Shrine team alternate but didn't get called up. I wrestled post season and placed 6th in the state freestyle tournament and just missed a cultural exchange team twice (New Zealand and Japan). I had beaten both the guys that made those teams earlier in the season.
After college(1974), I was fortunate to get a teaching job in Albany Oregon. Starting at the junior high school level (7- 8-9) teaching P.E. and Health. I was head coach in football, wrestling, and boys and girls track.
In 1982, Albany went to a 4 year high school and I was lucky enough to get moved to West Albany HS,
where I had already been doing some coaching in wrestling and girls track. I continued to coach football and wrestling but opted out of track. In 1991, I became only the second West Albany head wrestling coach after Bruce Glenn had retired. I dropped coaching football for a few years and was head wrestling coach for 12 seasons. I coached 4 more seasons of football until my son got to high school. The new head coach was Randy Nyquist, whom played 9th grade football for me.
Next up, college. I chose to play football at Willamette University. I lettered all 4 years in football, earning All Northwest Conference 1st team DL honors my senior year. Also voted by my teammates as most inspirational player. I wrestled also, coached by Ted Ogdahl and Joe Schaffeld, earning 3 varsity letters and placing 3rd twice and a runner up once in the NW Conference championships. My junior year I qualified for the NAIA national tournament winning one and losing 2-1 to an eventual All-American whom I had beaten earlier that year.
In 1995, I got to work the World Wrestling Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, thanks to my former head MHS coach John Dustin. He was in charge of running it. In 2000, I was selected to be the Oregon cultural exchange coach that took a high school all star team to Bulgaria and Italy.
I retired from teaching after 30 years, then stayed on for 4 more years as an assistant coach in wrestling and to substitute teach and help with wrestling. My daughter, Miranda is an assistant wrestling coach and I helped out on one of the largest dual meet competitions in the NW, the NW DUALS, 36 men's teams and 12 women's teams, at the Linn County fairgrounds.
In 2019, I was inducted into the West Albany Hall of Fame.
I played football, basketball, softball, and track at Englewood Elementary. On to 7th grade at Marshfield Jr High where I was cut from basketball because I missed
the second day of tryouts due to showing up to an empty locker? Eighth grade I played football for Coach Kelly Hoy, and for the first time went out for wrestling, coached by Lynn Matthews.
MHS fall of 1964, 110 freshman went out for football. There were two teams, I was on coach Ray Thiess' Blue Jackets team, 3rd string TE, 5'7", 127 Ibs.
Sophomore year I was on the sophomore team coached by Stan Solomon. Junior year, on the JV team coached by Johnny Johnson and played 2 varsity downs that year. I had continued to wrestle and earned 3 varsity letters.
As a senior playing OT at 6'1'", 179 Ibs. for head coach Pete Susick. Senior year I was a unanimous 1st team all league selection. Two weeks later after the state semifinal win vs 1# David Douglas I was honored by making 1st team All-State at OT. Lost to Jesuit in the state championship game at unturfed Autzen stadium.
Senior year in wrestling, I won the district championship at 168 Ibs. coached by John Dustin and Lynn Matthews. Went on to state, lost 9-11 in the semi's, and came back and placed 4th. I was a Shrine team alternate but didn't get called up. I wrestled post season and placed 6th in the state freestyle tournament and just missed a cultural exchange team twice (New Zealand and Japan). I had beaten both the guys that made those teams earlier in the season.
After college(1974), I was fortunate to get a teaching job in Albany Oregon. Starting at the junior high school level (7- 8-9) teaching P.E. and Health. I was head coach in football, wrestling, and boys and girls track.
In 1982, Albany went to a 4 year high school and I was lucky enough to get moved to West Albany HS,
where I had already been doing some coaching in wrestling and girls track. I continued to coach football and wrestling but opted out of track. In 1991, I became only the second West Albany head wrestling coach after Bruce Glenn had retired. I dropped coaching football for a few years and was head wrestling coach for 12 seasons. I coached 4 more seasons of football until my son got to high school. The new head coach was Randy Nyquist, whom played 9th grade football for me.
Next up, college. I chose to play football at Willamette University. I lettered all 4 years in football, earning All Northwest Conference 1st team DL honors my senior year. Also voted by my teammates as most inspirational player. I wrestled also, coached by Ted Ogdahl and Joe Schaffeld, earning 3 varsity letters and placing 3rd twice and a runner up once in the NW Conference championships. My junior year I qualified for the NAIA national tournament winning one and losing 2-1 to an eventual All-American whom I had beaten earlier that year.
In 1995, I got to work the World Wrestling Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, thanks to my former head MHS coach John Dustin. He was in charge of running it. In 2000, I was selected to be the Oregon cultural exchange coach that took a high school all star team to Bulgaria and Italy.
I retired from teaching after 30 years, then stayed on for 4 more years as an assistant coach in wrestling and to substitute teach and help with wrestling. My daughter, Miranda is an assistant wrestling coach and I helped out on one of the largest dual meet competitions in the NW, the NW DUALS, 36 men's teams and 12 women's teams, at the Linn County fairgrounds.
In 2019, I was inducted into the West Albany Hall of Fame.
