By SCOTT NOVAK
Dowagiac Daily News

NILES – For more than 40 years, Don Bender coached athletics at Niles.

In the early hours of Monday morning, Bender lost his battle with lung cancer at the age of 86.

A native of Grand Rapids, Bender came to Niles via the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University.

Bender played end for the University of Michigan football team in 1944-45. He transferred to Western and played basketball for the Broncos in the winters of 1946 and 1947.

After graduating from Western he traveled back East to Ann Arbor to work on his master’s degree.

The Niles Community Schools came calling and recruited Bender to coach football for the Vikings and teach.

He met his wife “Scotty” during that first year of teaching and the two were married in 1949.

They had only one child, Steve, who would follow in his father’s footsteps and become a teacher and a coach in the Buchanan school system.

Steve has become a highly successful tennis coach for the Bucks and has led Buchanan to the state finals 17 out of the last 18 years.

As a child, he remembers wanting to be just like his dad.

“I grew up as a little kid just following my dad all around,” he recalled. “I loved to take oranges into his locker rooms at halftime. In the summers I couldn’t wait to go up to school and stack shoulder pads. All I know is that success flowed from whatever dad coached. My biggest regret is that I never had the opportunity to play for him.
“I did play against him when Ballard played Lardner in ninth grade football in 1970.
Game week we never spoke to each other and did not eat at the same table. Of course, he beat us 20-0. All I know is that the guys I played with in high school who played at Ring Lardner would tell me how FUN it was to play for Coach Bender,” Steve added.

He went on to say that his father left a lasting impression on him.

“I realize now after 31 years of coaching that I copied a lot of what I saw from dad. Dad had a way to get the most out of his teams and was the master of football gadget plays. One thing I do remember is that when I was an assistant varsity football coach at Buchanan in the late 1980s, I did borrow his double reverse pass play that ended up the winning touchdown versus LMC,” Steve said.

A physical education teacher, Bender coached the varsity linemen for the Vikings and the junior varsity basketball team.

He took over as Niles’ varsity basketball coach in 1950.

When Ring Lardner opened in 1965, Bender added the junior high athletic director title to his resume. He remained a physical education teacher and was coaching three sports.
He excelled in every sport he coached.

Bender posted a record of 180-74 in 15 years of coaching basketball; 180-74 in 32 years of coaching football and 439-57 in 41 years of coaching track.

For his efforts, Bender was selected to the Hall of Fame by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association in 1993.

A life-long Wolverine, Bender was presented his award by then Michigan head coach Gary Moeller in a ceremony at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor.

He was also a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame, which encompasses all sports.

Bender retired from Niles in 1988.

“My dad loved Niles athletics He loved coaching Niles kids. He was also such a great supporter of my tennis program in Buchanan We all are better people having known this great person! In some way he has touched almost everybody in the Niles area,” he said.
Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday at Halbritter Funeral Home. The funeral will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Niles.