RUSH TOWNSHIP -- A longtime football coach in Schuylkill County is putting away his playbook after more than 40 years.
After 43 years, Stan Dakosty announced Thursday he would no longer coach the Marian Catholic High School football team.
It was an emotional announcement at Marian Catholic High School in Schuylkill County from head football coach Stan Dakosty stepping down.
"If somebody had taken me 40 years ago, 43 years ago, and said here's the problems, here's the hassles, here's the wins and the losses, here's the troubles and the joys, and asked would you do this for 43 years? I want you to know right now. I'd say, 'show me the way. Show me the way," said Dakosty.
Dakosty will stay on as athletic director and teacher but leaves behind a coaching career of more than 300 wins, a state championship, and thousands of former players. About 275 of them would go on to play in college.
Marian Catholic board member Bruce Svetz, Class of '83, is one of those former players.
"I look at the college level and I think of Lou Holtz at Notre Dame and I think of Joe Paterno at Penn State and at Marian, we're fortunate to have Stan," said Svetz.
Stan's Mother, 85-year-old Jacqueline Dakosty, has only missed one football game over all that time.
"I'm real proud of him, very proud of him. But I'll miss the games!" said Jacqueline Dakosty.
Dakosty hopes he is remembered as a coach who cared about his players on and off the field and long after graduation.
"You care about each other. You may not always like each other but you always love each other. So I think that's what we try to instill -- once a Colt, always a Colt."
The school hopes to have a replacement football coach in place sometime after the holidays.