Thomas M. Paski

He is eulogized as role model for students in his 23 years at BHS.

The good coaches win championships, but the best help bring players to their full potential as athletes and people.

Tom Paski did both.

“He led by example. It’s the way he led his life and lived his life. His wife (Lois Paski) is the same way,” said Neil Clough, who graduated from Bainbridge High School in 1953.

“(The Paskis) assisted so many young people in keeping their lives on track,” said Ralph Munro, BHS ’61, Washington’s former secretary of state and island native, who recalled how the Paskis would counsel and support kids going through difficulties. “This couple has meant a lot to Bainbridge Island and hundreds and hundreds of kids.”

Tom Paski, longtime island resident and legendary sports coach and teacher at Bainbridge High School from 1947-70, died Oct. 13 at age 94.

Paski’s team won the state Class B title in a 42-40 win over Kalama in 1948. The team took second place in 1954 and 1955. From 1953-55, teams he coached compiled a record of 105-29-1. During his tenure at BHS, his teams won seven league championships and four district championships. By the time he retired in 1970, his teams had racked up well over 400 wins.

Thomas M. Paski was born Oct. 1, 1911 in Red Lodge, Mont. He was raised in the small fishing village of Ilwaco, on the Washington coast.

He graduated in 1929 from Ilwaco High School where he earned nine letters in four sports. He played right end on Ilwaco’s first football team, and also starred in basketball and track.

He went on to attend Eastern Washington Normal School, now Eastern Washington University, and graduated in 1932.

He took his first teaching and coaching job at H.B. Ellison Junior High School in Wenatchee, where he met Lois Brockway, whom he married in 1942.

He taught in Wenatchee until he was commissioned in the Army Air Force in 1942.

He spent the war years as a cadet training officer at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. After World War II he spent a year at the University of Washington earning a master’s degree in physical education.

In 1947 he began a 23-year coaching and teaching career at Bainbridge High School on Bainbridge Island. He coached football and baseball for 13 years and basketball for 23 years and also taught academic subjects including U.S. history, American government and “Contemporary Problems.” Lois Paski taught home economics.

Tom Paski’s former BHS students call him a role model. He was a no-nonsense type of coach, urging his players to always try their best and never give up.

He was known for never raising his voice or demeaning his players; in the 1960s, he was nicknamed “Gentleman Tom.”

In a February 2003 interview in the Review, Paski said of his coaching philosophy:

“Coaching to me was teaching and motivation. It wasn’t a life-and-death matter. I didn’t need a seatbelt on the sidelines. I always felt a visiting team was a guest in our house. We’d compete against ’em tough, though — we’re not giving anything up.”

Paski’s teams would break their pre-game huddle with a cry of “Sisu!” a Finnish word that became synonymous with Paski — of Finnish extraction — meaning “do your best and work hard.”

“He was a person who wanted you to win, but more importantly that you’re a person of character instead of a ‘win at all costs.’ He was a builder of character by example,” said Frank Kitamoto, BHS ’57, who played second-team basketball for Paski. “If you wanted to win, you had to care about each other and be good team players.”

Paski would ask the players at halftime how the opponents were playing, then come up with a strategy with them for the second half.

“He never had teams that were really, really talented,” Kitamoto said. “(Yet) they would always win more games than you thought they would, because the teams were disciplined and knew that they had to make as few mistakes as possible.”

Clough kept in close touch with his mentor until the very end.

“He was my inspiration and I went into teaching (because of him).” Clough said. “He was still my mentor at the end. I learned so much from him about integrity, ethics. He was a class individual and an honorable person.”

Paski kept his word to players — even when it meant walking back to Bainbridge Island from Port Orchard one Friday night in November 1954, making good on a pre-game vow when they won a crucial contest. He did, though, later admit to completing the walk in two phases, so he could get to the University of Washington football game on time the next day.

The Paskis’ support for Bainbridge High School continued into retirement, as they made financial gifts to the school athletic department.

“What he was most worried about was the participation fee — $95 per sport,” said Neal White, athletic director. “When Tom gave us that money, he wanted to make sure any child who wanted to participate in a sport who couldn’t afford to would be able to play.”

Paski was inducted into the Washington State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1976, was a past president of the Washington State Coaches Association, and was active with the Washington State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame until his death.

In 2003, the Bainbridge Island School District named the new BHS gymnasium in honor of Tom and Lois Paski.

Tom Paski is survived by his wife. At his request, no services will be held.

Remembrances may be made to the Bainbridge High School Scholarship Fund, 9330 High School Road, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

Arrangements are by Kass & Cook Family Funeral Home.