March 19, 2024

Coach Rowray legacy is love of students, game

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David Rowray never stopped coaching in sports or in life. The late Rowray influenced not only athletes but also students throughout 34 years of teaching, coaching and counseling at Newton High School.

His influence reached beyond the classroom, basketball court, football field, tennis court and golf course. According to accounts of Rowray’s life of dedication to education by former students and players, fellow teachers and coaches and family, Rowray inspired those around him to be better people.

“He was a fabulous person. Oh, he was intense as a coach, but he wanted us to do our best on the court,” said Chris Barton, a senior player on the 1992 Newton High School basketball team, which qualified for the Iowa state tournament.

“We couldn’t have loved him more. I developed a relationship with him after I got out of school. I saw him the night before he died. I really admired him as a coach and more so as a person,” Barton said.

On Friday, Rowray is being honored on Newton High’s Legacy Night. Rowray was the Cardinals’ basketball coaching staff as a varsity assistant coach for Roger Slykhuis in 1979, took over the sophomore team coaching duties then moved into the head coaching position when Slykhuis retired from coaching in 1988.

Rowray’s teaching and coaching career at NHS was in two stints, broken up by service in the Army during the Vietnam War.

He was a new teacher right out of University of Northern Iowa in 1966 when he came to Newton High. Rowray coached several sports including girls golf in the 1960s.

After serving in the Army, Rowray returned to Newton and teaching at NHS in 1970. Rowray was a physical education teacher.

“Dave and I began teaching together in 1977 when I came to Newton,” said Chuck Knutsen, retired NHS teacher who lives in Arizona now. “He was my best friend. After he retired, we’d go to the Iowa (Hawkeye) games together.”

Knutsen said Rowray was the head of the NHS physical education department. He said there were changes throughout the years, but one thing never changed.

“Dave wanted to make sure we gave all the students as many opportunities to do many things. We had a two-week rotation into different sports,” Knutsen said. “Whether it was in his teaching or coaching, Dave was about doing things the right way.”

Rowray coached girls golf, football, tennis, baseball and basketball. Basketball was his passion as a coach according to daughters, Jen Lasagna and Alyson Morrison, and former wife Kay Purtillo.

“Basketball and football overlapped and he was very busy. He had passion for both sports but basketball was the sport for him,” Purtillo said. “But more important than the sports were academics to Dave. He stressed to the kids to do their best on the field, court, classroom and life.”

Those lessons weren’t lost on Rowray’s daughters. Morrison lives in Waukee and Lasagna lives in Dallas, Texas. Both are attending Friday’s special night for their father, who died in March 2014.

“Growing up, I spent hours and hours in the gym. Dad’s perspective was not about the wins and losses, it was about the love of coaching and the love of the students,” Morrison said. “Oh, he wanted to win. He was very competitive and intense as a coach.

“It was about the character lessons basketball teaches. He wanted his players to be good people. Education was big for Dad.”

Morrison said she went to UNI for her college degree. She said physical fitness was important to her father. She said she’s not “a teacher,” but has taught group fitness for years.

“This is an awesome honor for him,” Morrison said of Friday’s event. “He cared so much about Newton High School and the students.”

Lasagna admitted there were times she and her sister were jealous of the basketball players at NHS.

“Dad spent so much time with the players. It was tough at times, but what was great is he always allowed us to be part of it all,” Lasagna said. “Even when I was very young, I got to be a part of the team with Dad. I was very proud of him.”

Lasagna said she’d watch as her father inspired young people at school in the classroom and as a coach. She wanted to be like him in that respect, she said.

“Dad was loved by his players and lot of them stayed in contact with him after they left high school,” Lasagna said. “We learned it was important to stay focused and address whatever we were trying to accomplish with confidence.”

Rowray stressed the importance of education to his students and to his daughters. Lasagna, who went on to receive a masters degree, works in a university setting.

“I’m hoping to inspire young people to reach their potential as Dad did all those students at Newton,” Lasagna said.

Dick Stiles, of Newton, said he remembers Rowray fondly as a fellow teacher and coach. Stiles and Rowray were assistant coaches of the NHS football team together.

Rowray and Purtillo were married for 23 years. They were married in 1986.

“Dave just loved coaching and he loved those kids. It didn’t matter what sport it was, he wanted the kids to do their best,” Purtillo said. “Players knew they had to earn their spot on the team.”

Purtillo remembered the weekends of Rowray reviewing game film and she was helping do the team laundry at their home. She said he wore a red sports coat when he coached.

“When people saw him in that sports coat, they knew it was game day,” Purtillo said. “Dave’s reward for all the time he spent was the respect of those young men. He loved seeing the great people they became. Former players were always calling him, asking him for advice.”

Rowray’s emphasis on education was for him also. He earned a master’s degree and moved into counseling later in his career at NHS, working with at-risk students. He taught driver’s education in the summer.

Following his retirement, Rowray was a substitute teacher at Newton.

“He always had time for former players like me. You didn’t want to disappoint Coach,” Barton said. “He always wanted the best from us and for us.”

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com