Obituaries

Coach King: 'He Worked His Players Hard and He Loved Them Even Harder.'

Evanston Township High School Athletic Director Chris Livatino shared his thoughts on King, who died Friday.

The following was sent by Evanston Township High School Athletic Director Chris Livatino about the death Friday night of football coach Steve King.

Wildkit Faithful,

Last evening, ETHS lost one of our brightest young coaches, Steve King, Assistant Head Football Coach & Defensive Coordinator, as he was exercising at the YMCA.  Steve King was a two year starting defensive back for the University of Michigan prior to coaching at Evanston.  Coach King was hired at ETHS in 2005 under Head Coach Tony Johnson.  During his time at ETHS, he helped transform the football program through his “Wolf Pack” mentality on defense and the passion he brought to the players and coaching staff.  More importantly, Steve King transformed the lives of hundreds of young men as an incredible role model and mentor to each and every football player he coached.  Always the disciplinarian, Coach King set high expectations for his student-athletes on the field, in the classroom and in life.  He worked his players hard and he loved them even harder.  This morning, so many of his current and former players spoke about the importance Coach King played in their lives beyond the gridiron.  Whether it was helping them get into college, pushing them in school, raising that bar of excellence or just being there to talk to about their lives and their problems, Coach King was an absolute God send to so many.

Personally, Steve King was a friend and colleague who I could trust to always do the right thing by our kids and our school.  He was a great man who I had the privilege of learning from and growing from through conversations and observations.  He was the type of person you just wanted to be around because he was such a good human being, but also a regular guy at the same time.  While we are never going to be able to replace a coach like Steve King, I was reminded of what an outstanding group of coaches we have working with the student-athletes at ETHS as our coaches spoke to over one hundred players and parents about the legacy and values of Coach King.  He may be gone, but his impact will never be forgotten.  They will live on in Coach Buzz and his staff and in the hearts and deeds of all of his players. 

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Chris Livatino

Athletic Director

Evanston Township High School


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