The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Longtime coach Don Andersen dies
Riverside mentor dies after battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer
His legs wobbly from the courageous battle with cancer he was fighting, Don Andersen got to his feet, draped his arm around Chad Tekavec, and looked at the teenagers circled around him.
The longtime Riverside football coach gripped a sheet of paper in his hand with things he wanted to say prior to the Beavers’ Week 2 game against Green. He never looked at it.
Andersen spoke from the heart.
Nine days later, on Sept. 11, Andersen died from his short battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, but his words that day — and his legacy of 69 years — live on.
“It was amazing,” said longtime friend and assistant Chuck Thomason. “He got up and spoke about Riverside pride, the number of alumni that would be there to see them play. He passed on what the tradition of Riverside football was, that he always bled black and gold, and that it was really important for the kids to have that
“His influence was just amazing. He coached at West Geauga, Riverside and Mentor. He affected three whole communities.” — Longtime friend and assistant Chuck Thomason
feeling toward Riverside.
“It was really an amazing moment.”
Andersen is survived by his wife Bonnie, son Tate and daughter Abby was well as a litany of former students, former players, assistant coaches and people across northeastern Ohio who saw him as more than a teacher and coach.
When Andersen was told his time was near, Riverside honored him at their Meet The Team Night at the stadium. The line to shake hands with and talk to Andersen was so long of wellwishers that he was there from 5:30 p.m. until 8:45 p.m., Thomason said.
“That says a lot about his legacy and the type of person Donnie was,” Thomason said.
Andersen is best known for his football coaching at Riverside, where he compiled a 134-47-1 (.740) record from 1982 to 2000 as the Beavers’ head coach, with seven league championships and playoff appearances in 1994, 1995 and 2000.
He also coached baseball for 12 years, compiling a 234-88 (.727) over that span.
Prior to coming to Riverside, he was the offensive coordinator at West Geauga.
But perhaps the aspect he might get the most credit for — even if most don’t know it — is that Andersen helped bring the fast-paced, high-scoring spread offense to Mentor when he came in as Coach Steve Trivisonno’s offensive coordinator from 2002 to 2010.
“He helped put in all the stuff we’re doing,” said Trivisonno. “He is a big part of it.”
Thomason said he remembers when Andersen traveled to Bowling Green for tutelage with current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, to learn the spread offense.
“You talk about legacy, that’s what he brought,” said Thomason. “He went up there and came back with that no-huddle, fastpaced offense. He said you didn’t have to be perfect if you played so fast because the other people were going to be tired.
“He said when he was at Mentor, he had a 3-by-5 card as his play sheet. They just played so fast.”
Andersen was in a wheelchair, joined by family and friends, on the track at Jerome T. Osborne Stadium for Mentor’s season-opening game against St. Edward on Aug. 24.
“That was huge for us, having him there,” said Trivisonno. “It gave a lot of people a chance to go over and see him, to say what they wanted to say. Donnie loved the Cardinals. He made it to as many games as he could.”
Despite all the wins, playoff games, league championships and implementation of a new offense at Mentor, Trivisonno said he will remember something more.
“What I loved is that he could be tough when he needed to, with those tough Popeye-like arms with those muscles, but he was so caring and loving at the same time,” Trivisonno said. “That’s so, so special to have.”
Byron Morgan coached with Andersen as fellow assistants at Mentor, but prior to that, they had many scrimmages against each other as competing head coaches.
Morgan said he had an opportunity to talk with Andersen at the MentorSt. Edward game, and the smiles came out with their memories.
“We were throwing backshoulder fade before it was known as a back-shoulder fade,” said Morgan, whose words brought a smile and a head-nod from Andersen. “We didn’t have receivers who ran away from defenders, so we just taught them to throw to the back shoulder.
“When I went down to see him that night, there with his wife, it was hard. He was always such a great, vibrant guy. It just shows you life comes at you pretty fast.”
Over the past number of weeks, a stunning outpouring of support and well-wishers came to Andersen’s side. Former Mentor quarterback and winner of Ohio’s coveted Mr. Football award Bart Tanski reached out to his former offensive coordinator. Riverside alum Scott Shafer made the trip from Middle Tennessee State, where he is the defensive coordinator, to be with his former mentor. And Joe Loth, now the head coach at West Connecticut State, called to talk with his former coach at Riverside and asked him about plays they ran with the Beavers that he can now use at the college level.
That’s just to name a miniscule fraction of those who were touched by Andersen as a math teacher, physical education teacher and coach.
“His influence was just amazing,” said Thomason. “He coached at West Geauga, Riverside and Mentor. He affected three whole communities.”
A prayer service for Andersen is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sept. 22 at Riverside’s High School Auditorium, with a celebration life immediately following at the Elk’s Club in Painesville, 723 Liberty St.
According to family friend Linda Simpson, at the family’s request, Andersen’s body is being donated to Case Western Reserve for research.
“He’s an icon, a man that affected so many lives,” said current Riverside football coach Dave Bors. “That’s what we all aspire to be, someone who makes a difference. That’s the true legacy of a man.”