[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 27653]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   RALPH TASKER ``A COACHING LEGEND''

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a man who touched the 
lives of each person he came into contact with throughout his teaching 
and coaching career. Coach Ralph Tasker was a respected person, and a 
perfect gentleman. He always looked for the good in people and had that 
rare ability to bring out the best in others.
  Born and raised in Moundsville, West Virginia, Coach Tasker took up 
basketball when he was five years old. This was his common bond with 
most of his friends. In Moundsville, nearly everyone worked in coal 
mines except for Tasker's parents, who owned and operated a grocery 
store. He played basketball in high school, earning all-state honors in 
his junior and senior campaigns. From there he played four years at 
Alderson-Broaddus College, and this is where he met his wife, Margaret 
Elizabeth Marple. The two were married and devoted to each other for 
nearly fifty years until Margaret passed away in 1991.
  Tasker began his coaching career straight out of college at Sulphur 
Springs High School in Sulphur Springs, Ohio, in 1941. He spent less 
than a year at Sulphur Springs, but even then made an impact on his 
students and players. Tasker went beyond the role of coach and teacher, 
as he was always a friend to his students and players. From his first 
year in coaching, his students considered Coach Tasker a father figure. 
Those who knew Coach Tasker describe him as dedicated, sincere, and 
loyal to his players and community.
  After leaving Sulphur Springs, Coach Tasker served our country for 
three years in the U.S. Air Corps. He then accepted another coaching 
position in New Mexico at Lovington High School. After three years and 
one state championship with Lovington, Coach Tasker moved twenty miles 
south to Hobbs High School, where he would remain for the rest of his 
coaching career. Forty-nine years, eleven state championships, two 
perfect seasons, and two National High School Coach of the Year awards 
later, Coach Tasker decided to retire. In fifty-three years of 
coaching, Tasker had a remarkable collection of achievements. He 
finished with 1,122 wins and 291 losses, which ranks him as the third 
place coach in total number of wins in high school boys' basketball 
history. Among many honors, he was elected to four different halls of 
fame, won twelve state championships, and in 1991 was named the 
National Athletic Coach of the Year in the prestigious Walt Disney 
National Teacher Awards Program.
  Coach Tasker was slow to take credit, but quick to praise. He often 
said, ``When you've got players like I've got, they make a great coach 
out of you.'' He was uncomfortable in the limelight, and even chose to 
put his awards away in drawers, preferring to display artwork by his 
grandchildren. Coach Tasker always sought to uplift his children, 
grandchildren, students, and players.
  Mr. President, Coach Ralph Tasker passed away on Monday, July 19, 
1999, after a brief bout with cancer. I trust the Senate will join me 
in honoring one of the greatest men in the sports history of New Mexico 
and this country. He will be missed by everyone. I believe my friend 
Senator Domenici put it best when he said, ``The passing of Ralph 
Tasker marks the loss of an institution in Hobbs and in New Mexico.''

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