Seahawks honor legendary local coach with donation of new Riddell SpeedFlex helmets

By Annmarie Toler | Posted 6/1/2017

 Photo via Seahawks.com

The Seattle Seahawks teamed up with United HealthCare to present Tumwater High School (Wash.) with new equipment during spring practice.

Tumwater received 25 new Riddell SpeedFlex helmets on Tuesday, according to an article by The Olympian.

The helmets are in honor of Tumwater head coach Sid Otton, who the Seahawks selected as their local High School Coach of the Year following the 2016 season:

Otton received a $2,000 grant along with the new helmets, which were presented during a presentation honoring Otton.

Following a 43-year tenure at Tumwater, Otton retired after the 2016 season. He is the state’s all-time winningest coach with a record of 394-131. His legacy on the Washington high school football scene is unmatched.

“I guarantee there will never be another Sid Otton — I don’t care how many games they win,” Dick Nichols, a member of the local media, said in the fall, when news of Otton’s retirement first broke. “They broke the mold with this guy, and there’s just not ever going to be another one like him.”

As Otton turns over the program’s reins to Tumwater alum Bill Beattie—who Otton coached in the late 1970s—the program remains in great shape. Tumwater had 130 participants in spring football practices despite being in one of the state’s smaller classifications.

"This program is a healthy program,” said Paul Johns, the Seahawks director of youth football and alumni programs. “It makes me feel good that football is still thriving in different parts of the country.”

Riddell SpeedFlex helmets aren't the only addition to the program. Tumwater District Stadium will install new turf, which will then be dedicated as "Sid Otton Field."

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