No one could blame Heppner football coach Greg Grant for taking some time to smell the flowers this season, the final one of his remarkable 40-year career.
But Grant, who is No. 3 on the state's all-time wins list with a record of 339-81 at Heppner (1990-present) and Alsea (1985-89), isn't exactly taking a sentimental approach to the season.
“When it's over with, and we're done as a group, then I just won't coach another season,” said Grant, 63. “I don't feel like there's any emotion or anything different.
“I always approach it from the frame of mind that I'm trying to help a group of kids have the best experience they can have. It has nothing to do with my experience.”
Grant, who has won three state titles at Heppner, begins his final season Friday when the Mustangs visit Gold Beach in a 2A nonleague game. It's also the last season for Les Payne, 79, an assistant coach at Heppner since 1977 who had the school's football field named after him.
“It's just been a perfect relationship. He's the perfect assistant,” Grant said. “I don't know that I'd really want to coach with anyone else. I don't think I'm going to. I think me and him will walk away and Heppner will move forward. They'll always be good. They know how to do it.”
Grant expects that his relationship with Payne will cause him to reflect at times this season.
“There's probably going to be a few of those feelings, especially with Les and me,” Grant said. “I'm sure there will be a few moments later on when we look and go, 'Wow, I'm not going to walk out and do this anymore.' But I do not want one ounce of my thought process or energy to be diverted from trying to help my team.”
Grant said he began thinking about stepping down in the year after his son, Kellen, graduated from Heppner in 2020. He recalled discussing it with Payne, who drives 96 miles round trip to practice each day.
“I said, 'Hey coach, do you have three more years?'” Grant said. “We've always joked that we had a lifetime contract. He said, 'Yeah, I think I can go three more years.'”
Grant and his wife, Virginia, sold their home in Heppner two years ago and moved to Pendleton, about an hour away. For the last couple years, Grant has made no secret about his plan to step down after this season, but it didn't seem to register in Heppner until this year, when he resigned as athletic director.
“I don't know that people took me seriously,” Grant said. “A lot of people were like, 'What are you going to do? Why aren't you going to coach?' I might feel that way, but I really don't think so. I might want to give other coaches some help and assistance. I might want to mentor some people.
“I don't know that I'm going to want to run a program year-round like it deserves to be run. And I don't intend to coach anywhere other than Heppner.”
Grant graduated from Elgin, where his football career ended as a junior when he suffered a broken neck. He assisted in Elgin's football and basketball programs while attending Eastern Oregon University, where he ran cross country and track. He was Joseph's JV football coach as a student-teacher.
Grant was hired at Alsea, where he was the head coach for football and boys basketball for five seasons. His Alsea teams went 37-12 in football and 76-28 in basketball.
“I thought I wanted to be a head basketball coach,” said Grant, who earned his master's degree from Oregon State. “But I think my personality is a little more suited to football.”
Grant sought to return to eastern Oregon and landed the job at Heppner. In his third season, he led the Mustangs to a 13-0 record and their first state championship, defeating Vale 24-12 in the 1992 final.
He guided Heppner to state runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2014 and state titles in 2015 and 2019. The 2019 team included six second-generation players from the 1992 team as well as Kellen, who was an all-league tackle and defensive end
“It was really cool as a father to share that with my son,” Grant said. “It was just wonderful.”
Grant said Virginia, who served as Heppner's cheer advisor for two decades, has been “the perfect coach's wife.” Their daughter, Sophie, 23, participated in volleyball, basketball and cheer at Heppner before graduating from Pacific University and now works at an optometry practice in Idaho. Kellen, 22, graduated from Eastern Oregon this year.
Grant coached boys and girls golf at Heppner for 31 years, leading the girls team to four state runner-up finishes. Both of his children played golf at Heppner, with Kellen winning a district title.
Grant has had a winning record in all of his 34 seasons at Heppner. Under Grant, the Mustangs have won at least 10 games 12 times, including three 13-0 seasons.
On the state's all-time wins list, Grant stands behind late Dayton coach Dewey Sullivan (352-84-2) and current Jesuit coach Ken Potter (351-86).
“That is kind of humbling at times,” Grant said. “It's more about us than me. Having my name represent those wins is pretty cool. If I can just be mentioned in the same sentence as Dewey Sullivan, that'll be awesome.”
Grant said small-school football has suited him just fine. He adheres to the principle of former Pacific Lutheran University coach Frosty Westering's book, “Make the Big Time Where You Are.”
“I looked around and I always thought, 'Why would I want to leave this just to go to a bigger school?'” Grant said. “It's not better. I absolutely love everything about my experience at Heppner and Heppner itself. My kids grew up as Mustangs and they'll always be Mustangs, and so will I.”
jerryu@osaa.org
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