I had an opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with retiring Martinsville High School Athletic Director Kip Staggs, who finishes up his tenure this summer after shepherding 25 athletic programs and more than 80 coaches each year for that past 13 years.
Kip was a young man who grew up in Martinsville, and as a youngster, played basketball and baseball.
He commented several times that he had a great and positive experience during his education years, especially with some great mentors like Ron Bell, Austin Luker, Marsha Miles and Henry Pearcy to name a few. He played high school baseball for coach Bill Tutterow.
Staggs went on to Indiana State University to study to be an airline pilot, only to find out that he was colorblind. So through his experience in high school, he turned back to education. And always with a passion for sports.
So in 1991, he had the opportunity to coach basketball at Terre Haute South. Pat Rady was the basketball coach and athletic director at South, and Kip, at the age of 21, thought that “would be a great thing to do.”
“An ultimate goal 30-plus years ago was to be able to do that at my alma mater, Martinsville High School,” Staggs said. “It has been a complete blessing, and I’ve been honored to do it.”
Staggs shared some of his thoughts as his career is coming to an end. He mentioned all the relationships in the past 35 years.
“I hope we have made things better,” he said. “I hope we have been able to move things on. I hope we have accomplished our goals for students and the student athletes to walk across that stage and through athletics given them the opportunity to move forward and pursue their goals in the future.
“I’m going to miss the coaches, athletes, staff and fellow Ads. It’s been a tremendous and a good run.”
In looking back at the start of his coaching career, Staggs was a volunteer coach for two years, adding “that’s just the way it was” back then.
“I was just thankful to get a pair of tennis shoes and a sweat suit,” he remembered.
He mentioned how coaching is “a calling, a passion.” He even coached cross country at one point, and his team went to the state finals two out of his three years.
Kip mentioned “experience” in our conversation several times, and through experiences, he grew as a professional from his volunteer days to becoming a varsity coach and from his early days taking tickets to being an AD. –
“It’s been a journey,” Staggs said. “It’s molded me.”
Staggs was assistant principal and AD at Martinsville East Middle, and he had a decision to make as he wanted to get to the high school level — to become the athletic director at Cascade High School or a varsity basketball coach at a school in Southern Indiana.
In 2008, the family decision took him to Cascade High School — a small rural school where the AD didn’t have a lot of help (and you did it all). But he gained a lot of experience.
And then a great opportunity came along to move over to Franklin High School, where he and his family thought he could possibly be for many years. He once again gained experience and opportunities to be prepared to move forward.
He returned to Martinsville in 2013. Don Lipps was the AD at the time, and Kip said Lipps was “an unbelievable mentor.”
“He set the standard for what we try to do daily at MHS,” Staggs said. “He set processes and procedures. He was extremely organized.”
As far as Staggs is concerned, Lipps “was the Gold Standard,” and Staggs’ goal was to that same standard.
Joe Williams — who made the transition from the old high school campus to the new in the mid ‘70s — was the AD at MHS before Lipps, which means Martinsville has only had three Ads in the past 50-plus years.
“Williams was tremendous in his leadership,” Staggs said. “And I feel very blessed to follow those two individuals.”
Staggs shared about picking up “bits and pieces” from the many Hall of Fame coaches that have been at Martinsville throughout the years, most notably Bill Siderewicz, John Koontz, Dave Errett, Sharon Most and Jan Connor to name a few.
“We all learned and grew under their leadership,” he said. “We watched, we worked, we took bits and pieces from each one.
“You can learn a lot by just sitting back and watching how people operate. … I feel very blessed to be part of that at that time.”
As our conversation continued, Staggs said becoming Basketball Coach and eventually Athletic Director at Martinsville High School “was a dream come true.”
Staggs’ dad broadcasted the Martinsville games on the local radio station, and I was fortunate enough to work with him for several years covering Artesian sports.
Kip would often be sent to the radio booth by Coach Tim Wolf to do the post game show. “That was part of his learning experience,” Staggs said, “being in front of a microphone.” We discussed the many challenges thrown at an Athletic Director, and COVID stands out in recent years.
But there have also been the facility improvements in the past decade at MHS and the 5-year plan as the athletic department moves forward. Then there’s the work required for “the feeder programs” that start in grade school, continue to middle school and continue at the high school level.
So the goal was achieved that was set 30-plus years ago. But what can be next for him in his life? With the support of his family and his wife Heather, it’s time to move forward. A new voice will be heard, a new person to guide the programs at Martinsville High School — another of Martinsville’s own, Kristen Lovell, who will take the reins on July 1.
And as Kip Staggs said “I’m at peace with that.”
No doubt, Staggs’ devotion is all for “The Love of the Game.”
Dave Rinehart is a Martinsville native who’s been involved in sports for most of his life, including coaching, refereeing and 29 years as the sports broadcaster on the local radio station.
