Union head coach Joe Hadachek (right) is pictured here with his family.

Some people are just born to be natural leaders, and anyone who has met Union High School head football coach Joe Hadachek would say that he is one of those special people. Joe was born and raised in the area, as well as his wife Gloria, and together they have three beautiful children. Trev, the oldest, is currently attending school at the University of Iowa and is playing on the Iowa Hawkeyes football team. Tate, their second child, is a senior at Union this year, and participates on the football team as a defensive back and wide receiver. Their youngest child and only girl, Tori, loves to play soccer and has also played volleyball for a few years.

Recently, Joe was awarded the Ed Thomas Coach of the Week Award. This award was created in memory of the wonderful late Aplington Parkersburg high schools head football coach, Ed Thomas. As many of you know, Ed’s life was unfortunately cut too short back in 2009 when he was tragically gunned down by a former student who had been suffering from mental illness. Since Ed’s heartbreaking passing, his family and friends have created the Ed Thomas Family Foundation. They want to continue the legacy of Ed by providing opportunities such as scholarships, help maintaining facilities and schools, and most importantly to spread the message of God’s word.

As I spoke with Joe, he reminisced about the days that he used to play football against Ed in high school, when Dysart would play Parkersburg. As they both graduated and started their careers, they were led down the same path of becoming coaches. They kept in contact throughout the years and Joe actually recruited some players from Ed at Aplington/Parkersburg while he was coaching college football. Joe humbly stated: “It is a great honor to receive the Ed Thomas Coach of the Week Award, and to be considered on that level at all.”

This is Joe’s eighth season at Union High School. Making it to the state playoffs five of those years and even winning the state title in their division one of those years isn’t what he considers his greatest or proudest accomplishment as a coach. This alone says a lot about Joe’s humble yet strong personality. Joe stated the biggest reward of coaching is watching the students grow and mature into young adults. He said there isn’t anything quite like getting a call from a former student who has graduated saying thanks for always being there, not only during high school but even once that student has moved on to college or a career.

Joe has started a few different programs at Union and around town. He has always been a mentor of sorts, not just to the football team, but to anyone who needs someone. The FCA, or Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a nationwide organization that has been around since 1954. Every Friday at 7 a.m., a group meets in the back of Joe’s Gym in La Porte for a time of Bible study and fellowship with each other. The meetings are over by 7:30 when the students need to attend class. When the group first started meeting there were only two people, since then it has grown into a couple dozen students. The FCA also holds several different sports camps for kids to attend throughout the summer. Many children from the area have gone to these camps in the past several years.

Another event that is held annually is the Fields of Faith event. This is also a nationwide event that takes place at several different high schools. This event is run by students and volunteers. Once a year, the first Wednesday in October, anyone who would like to attend is welcome to come out to the football field to hear people’s testimonies and worship with each other through music. This event draws in several hundred people, from several different communities and has been going on for the last 9 or 10 years at Union. Although the FCA and Fields of Faith events are wonderful opportunities for the students, they all know that they can go to Joe at any point in time, and he will be there as a mentor, coach, friend or just someone to listen if that is what they need.

I had the opportunity to speak with a few former players of Joe’s as well. Wes Burnside, who is now a running back at UNI, had a lot to say. In fact he didn’t know where to start.

“Joe is like a father to me, he taught me discipline and life lessons that I still use every single day as I continue my football career,” Burnside said.

He also said Joe taught him the motivation and drive to get up and get to practice every single day, and always try his hardest. Wes is currently a record holder at Union for his time as a running back. He still speaks with Joe on a regular basis, and knows he can count on him now and in the future, even though he is no longer a student at Union.

Jared Wauters, who went on to play at Wartburg after high school stated he could talk for hours about his old coach.

“Joe not only knows football better than anyone I’ve ever met, but at the end of the day, at the end of practice, after he was done with the coaching part of his job, he was always sure to ask you: How are you doing?” Wauters said. “And he really meant it, you can tell he genuinely has an interest and cares about your life.”

He also went on to say that Joe was like a father figure to him, and taught him to always put family and faith first.

Trev Hadacheck, Joe’s oldest son who was mentioned earlier also had a few great things to say about his dad.

“My father is the ultimate role model, I am truly blessed to be able to have him as a father and a coach,” Hadachek said. “I have seen him turn so many lives around and help steer people in the right direction. He is always there for everyone, and has been a huge influence on me and all of my friends.”

I don’t think I’m alone when I say: I couldn’t think of a coach more deserving than Joe Hadachek to receive the Ed Thomas Coach of the Week Award. It is coaches and people like Joe who can keep Ed’s legacy and testimony alive by being a positive role model for the community. In just the short time I spent with Joe during this interview I was moved by his genuine compassion towards helping people and bettering the community. We are lucky to have someone like Joe as not only the high school football coach, but as a mentor and influence to the youth and everyone else as well.