Legendary Maine football coach John Wolfgram has passed away.
He was 77.
Wolfgram meant so much to so many both on and off the gridiron.
“A lot of coaches can draw X’s and O’s, but few win championships, especially multiple championships,” former player Arthur “Mooch” Davis said.
Wherever Wolfgram coached, he won and won big.
He was the gold standard in Maine high school football, winning a total of 10 state titles, more than 300 games and a career spread over seven decades.
“There’ll never be another John Wolfgram,” Davis said.
Davis played for Wolfgram at Gardiner High School and said his impact was felt far beyond the sidelines.
“He had the ability to create an environment that you could believe,” Davis said. “There was no one like this man, the lives that he touched, the communities he touched.”
“We showed up in Gardiner in 1975. I was 22, he was 27,” former assistant coach Rob Munzing said.
Munzing was on Wolfgram’s staff in Gardiner and says his ability to look forward was one of his greatest keys to success.
“I don’t think his car had a rear-view mirror. He never looked back. It was always, ‘What’s ahead?’ and I think that focus was what was unique about John,” Munzing said.
“He was a teacher. He was an educator. He did everything with class,” longtime South Portland coach Aaron Filieo said.
Filieo both played for and later coached under Wolfgram.
“I just think that the ripple effect of a loss like this. It will be felt for a long time,” Filieo said.
“My dad played at Maine with coach. They were guard and center for their sophomore through senior year together,” longtime friend Mike Vance said.
Vance has known Wolfgram since he was a youngster. The two later coached together, first at South Portland and later on at Cheverus. Vance says Wolfgram had a positive impact on the game and the game of life.
“He was a lot more than just a coach. He was a special person,” Vance said. “He demonstrated to a lot of people how to live a life with dignity, with class. He was excellence with integrity. He also knew exactly how he wanted to live his life, and he did that.”