DAGG-gummed great!

Coming up in the not so far future, there'll be a celebration that will moisten the eyes of more than a few in attendance, thanks to the impact that the focus of the celebration has had over a lengthy, consistent, honoured, and medalled career. There are many in Canada who have heard of the game of rugby, but it's a much smaller number who have actually watched a game, and an even smaller number who have actually played, meaning it could be considered a fringe sport with a very tight community of supporters. Chances are, if you spent any time in Simcoe County, and you were a part of the fringe, John Daggett's brilliance has illuminated your darkness in some way, shape, or form.

John Daggett is retiring from coaching and I couldn't be happier for him.

Coach Daggett, or Dagg as many refer to him, has been a stalwart influence on the game in this area for a lengthy amount of time, changing attitudes toward the game first with the Orillia Dingos RFC and then with the Barrie RFC, but it's the lives of young men he has changed thanks to his storied tenure as Head Coach of the Men's Rugby at Georgian College that is the impetus for the aforementioned celebration. GC State is saying its goodbyes to their beloved Head Coach, a personification of their Grizzly mascot if there ever was one, who officially retired from coaching after notching his belt for the 13th time, this one an OCAA Championship Gold Medal last fall. 

The college is losing a DAGG-gummed great one!

Those in the know are already astutely aware that Coach Daggett is a rare breed. He's a unique mixture of affable positivism, undying loyalty, unbridled enthusiasm, and dogged determination that sows the seeds of elite performance in his underlings. Ever the stickler for details, those players who have ever bared the brunt of a Dagg-ism, a gravelly, no-holds-barred dressing down thanks to some error of judgment on their part, they'll be keenly aware that the guy cares ... A LOT! His passion knows no boundaries, his knowledge knows no ceiling, his drive to make his charges the best they can be knows no limits. Possessor of a dry, cutting sense of humour, Dagg-isms make the bearer astutely aware of their mistakes while raising the corners of the mouths of onlookers thanks to his acerbic wit. Perhaps one of his greatest strengths goes largely unnoticed by GC faithful, but Dagg is humble enough to ask for help despite to prolific prowess when he sees the need, like gathering an All Star management team that augments his own abilities, and he'll be the first to tell you that the GC success has been a team affair.

It's all of those qualities blended together, spiced with a healthy handful of grandfatherly wisdom, and dusted with a profound sense commitment, that makes him the stuff of legends.

I've already bragged about Coach Daggett in a couple of previous pieces, the most recent being The Gold Standard, so I won't rehash his rarely matched accolades, but suffice it to say that he is resoundingly respected, far and wide in provincial and national rugby circles. If GC State is not the most decorated rugby program in OCAAA history, there can't be more than one other school that has the resume that GC State does, especially in the last 13 years, success that is largely due to John's leadership. 

How can I be so certain?
Let's just say I've drank the Kool Aid as one of his assistant coaches!

Oh, by the way, When not patrolling the touchlines of JC Massie Field in all kinds of Canadian weather, he also has a "Day Job" as Co-Op manager for Georgian College, a role that embodies all of those same characteristics, endearing him to hundreds of GC students during his tenure. His effect on them is quickly recognizable thanks to their wide smiles and gleaming sparkle in their eyes. A note to all of those GC students, DON'T FRET, he'll only be stepping away from the coaching side of things and will continue to illuminate your lives as he helps make Georgian College one of the most successful and proficient Co-Op colleges in Ontario.

While there will be a sizeable number who will feel sad that the Daggett years are over, there will be an even larger number of us who will feel forever grateful that we had time with him in our lives. 

Like Dr Seuss famously wrote, "Don't cry because it's over; Smile because it happened!"

I, for one, will be smiling wider than a Cheshire Cat on March 22 at Georgian's Last Class pub, and can't wait for next season when he might grace me with a visit to my personal viewing platform at the back of the in-goal.

In my best Scottish baroque, "That'll do, Dagg, that'll do."