By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
When word got out that he was retiring at the end of this school year, Newport Central Catholic boys’ track coach Dave Ueding wanted to let his team members know before they competed in the Class A regional meet on Wednesday at Dixie Heights High School.
“I didn’t want to have it come out now,” Ueding said. “I thought this week ought to be about (the team). It’s their season and I didn’t want this to be a distraction, but rumors started to fly and I was getting tired of telling stories.”
The veteran coach’s retirement was bound to create a stir. He began teaching math at NewCath in 1965 when he was a member of the Christian Brothers educational ministry and coached boys’ track there for 47 years. The Thoroughbreds have won five regional titles with him as their head coach.
NewCath isn’t considered a top contender for the team title going into Wednesday’s Class A regional meet that begins at 5 p.m. The main thing on Ueding’s mind is qualifying for the state meet in as many events as possible.
“We’ve got six or seven pretty good ones,” he said of his team. “I’m hoping to qualify in three relays and with Trent Wrobleski in the high jump and hurdles. We’ll qualify in a few others at large, but those are the ones that have the best chances of being among the tops at state.”
Ueding grew up in southwestern Indiana and played baseball when he attended high school. He knew little about track when he agreed to coach the multiple-event sport at NewCath.
“In the early years, I read a lot of books and when I was young I tried to do the events myself,” he said. “I wasn’t great at any of them, but I had a feeling for what the kids were going to do.”
There is no stadium with track facilities on the NewCath campus. Students have always trained for meets on the school parking lot and football practice field. The boys’ track program has still produced more than a dozen state champions in individual events and relays since Ueding joined the coaching staff.
That’s just one of the reasons he was inducted into the NewCath Hall of Fame in 2006. He also coached cross country for 37 years, served as the official scorer for the boys’ basketball team for more than 45 years and drove the school bus to games and other school functions.
Two years ago, the Dave Ueding Scholarship was established at the school by a generous benefactor who wanted to honor Ueding’s hard work and dedication to NewCath.
“To be honest with you, it’s really not that important to me,” he said of the recognition he has gotten for his coaching career. “It’s about the kids. They’re the ones who were champions. I just happened to be there with them.”
Regional high school track meets
CLASS A — REGION 4
WHEN — 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 10
WHERE — Dixie Heights High School
TEAMS — Beechwood, Bellevue, Brossart, Covington Latin, Dayton, Holy Cross, Lloyd, Ludlow, Newport, Newport Central Catholic, St. Henry, Villa Madonna, Walton-Verona, Williamstown
CLASS 2A — REGION 4
WHEN — 5 p.m., Friday, May 12
WHERE — Sharp Middle School, Falmouth
TEAMS — Bourbon County, Franklin County, Harrison County, Highlands, Holmes, Lexington Catholic, Pendleton County, Scott, Western Hills
CLASS 3A — REGION 5
WHEN — 5 p.m., Friday, May 12
WHERE — Dixie Heights High School
TEAMS — Boone County, Campbell County, Conner, Cooper, Covington Catholic, Dixie Heights, Grant County, Notre Dame, Ryle, Simon Kenton