A Trojan legend
Allan Trimble, who led Jenks High School to 13 state football championships as its head coach, announced his retirement on Thursday as he battles ALS.
JENKS — Allan Trimble isn’t sure exactly what’s coming with retirement. That’s what has made the past few months so troubling.
His two-year battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has grown tiring and brings a bitter reality about his future into focus.
It’s debilitating and the primary factor of why he announced Thursday that he was retiring after 22 seasons as Jenks High School’s head football coach and director of football.
“Let’s face it, on my greatest day I was not very athletic. But now I’m not very athletic,” Trimble said. “I can’t get around very good. This program deserves someone who can go full speed.”
Tears formed as Trimble’s voice trailed off.
Trimble led Jenks to 13 state championships as it became the state’s most dominant football program. He won 242 games, 101 more than he lost. He coached future NFL players and college stars. He will be inducted this August to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Walking away is not easy, knowing full well he remains mentally capable.
“ALS is very unforgiving,” Trimble said. “You get tired.”
Trimble, 54, is hoping after a 60-day mandatory period away from the school following June 30 that he will have a role around the program.
He’s willing to film. Mostly, he’s hoping to still mentor.
“My plan is never to work really, really hard and then quit and walk away to do nothing,” Trimble said. “I’ve been praying a lot about it. As I’ve been coaching a long time a lot more opportunities arise to mentor young men, to mentor coaches, to catch up with your former college players. You just get older and the opportunities change a little bit.”
Trimble, a Cleveland native, began coaching in 1987 as a linebackers coach at Owasso. He joined Jenks in 1990 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1993. In 1996, following the firing of Ron Lancaster, Trimble was promoted to head coach.
And he felt like he walked into a hornet’s nest.
The community, located south of Tulsa, was divided. Some wanted Lancaster to stay and others didn’t. Trimble only wanted to make things work.
“It was a mess that I inherited, but the beautiful thing was I inherited a junior class that was ridiculous in how good they were,” Trimble said. “All I knew was we’ve got to bring them together, do things right, encourage the students to be good students and we just tunneled our vision. We didn’t have any master plan or anything.”
Jenks won the first of six straight state championships that year. And that junior class had a defense known as the “Legion of Doom” led by Rocky Calmus.
The latest title came in 2015, part of a run of four straight. But the following summer Trimble revealed he had ALS.
Even with ALS, Trimble remained the coach. He mentored his players and coaches. He went on oversea mission trips. He even formed the Trimble Strong Foundation.
“He’s such an amazing person,” said Jenks defensive coordinator Keith Riggs, who has spent 15 seasons with Trimble.
“He’s always thinking about others. With the success that he’s had he’s one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. You don’t see that a lot in today’s society. I think that’s what separates him.”
And in the final months at the school he’s known for nearly three decades, it won’t be his ALS that defines him.
It’ll be his legacy. That will carry on after retirement.
“I’m losing my independence,” Trimble said. “There’s no other way to describe it. I can’t function in my capacity without someone helping me almost all of the time. Jenks’ football team doesn’t have time for that. They’ve got way too many things to do. Would they do it? Yes. Would this district? They would do anything for me.
“Who knows where the Lord will take me. If things work out and they get a guy here that would be comfortable with me being around, I’m not done. I’m not done.”