ART OSMUNDSON (left) is shown here with his cohort in crime, Kim Alias (right). The two worked in the physical education department at Ridgefield High School for over 20 years. Photo courtesy of Viki Eierdam
RAY WARNER (left), a former baseball player of Art “Ozzie” Osmundson (right) who went on to coach with him for several years. Warner attended Osmundson’s retirement party on June 14 at Ridgefield High School. Photo courtesy of Viki Eierdam
After 37 years, beloved Ridgefield High School teacher and coach Art “Ozzie” Osmundson had his final day with students on June 16 before embarking on retirement.
“What I’ve done at Ridgefield is live out a dream. I wanted to coach and I wanted to teach at the same school for my whole career,” Osmundson said.
Osmundson grew up in Renton WA, and attended Eastern Washington University playing baseball with another long-time local coach, Don Freeman. He became a Spudder in 1977, teaching Physical Education and Health for students and their now-high school aged children.
Twenty-five of his years were spent coaching the football team, with 16 years as head coach. In 2011, after 33 years coaching baseball, he stepped down from coaching altogether. That’s given him a lot of memories to draw from including two state championships; one in each sport.
He remembers watching district games when he first arrived in Ridgefield and thinking “Are we ever going to be there?’’ Osmundson said there were some pretty impressive teams in their district but a lot of seasoned citizens had told the newcomer that baseball had always been a strong sport for Ridgefield. In 1983, they came so close to a state title against Ephrata High School that they could almost taste it, which made their victory against the same school in the 2002 state championship that much sweeter.
According to Osmundson, rumor had it the undefeated 2002 Ephrata team could’ve been the best Class 2A team that had ever been assembled. In the fifth inning, Ridgefield was trailing 8-1. They came back the last three innings and the Spudders beat Ephrata 15-10, clinching the 2002 state championship.
“They were good. They were scary good,” Osmundson said. “They were an incredible team and so that was a real feather in my cap.”
Ridgefield’s 1995 football victory hit a personal note for Osmundson. That team grew up with his youngest daughter so he was very close with all the kids.
“So to go 13-0 and win it that year, it was like a dream. I don’t know if my feet have touched the ground yet,” Osmundson said.
Not only did the 1995 Washington State Football Championship give Ridgefield bragging rights, it secured them Senate Resolution 1996-8674, signed into the history books by Senators Joseph Zarelli and Dean Sutherland.
As evidenced by the large turnout for his retirement party held on June 14, Osmundson has made a lot of friends over the years, many of them co-workers who aren’t holding back any punches on his last days. Kim Alias, who’s taught PE with Osmundson for over 20 years, stuffed his office so full of plyometric balls recently that he couldn’t open the door. His revenge was to tell her that his retaliation would be “epic’’ and then he sent her a dozen roses and carnations. Osmundson’s car was also wrapped so tightly with cellophane recently that he had to take scissors to it to get inside.
But the highlight for him had to be the next thing that Alias did for him. Her husband Brian works in construction and one of the owners of his company is friends with retired Cincinnati Reds catcher and Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. Alias told Osmundson earlier in the day that he was going to be receiving a call.
“This guy calls me on my cell phone,” Osmundson said. “One of the things I remember he said to me was ‘Are you guys really the Spudders?’”
Osmundson wasn’t able to formulate much that was articulate but Bench thanked him for coaching for over 35 years and told him how important his role has been in the lives of so many young people.
At his retirement party Dave “Chico’’ Chicks, who coached baseball with Osmundson for 22 years including the 1995 win, said “He’s a mentor to me. I’m still coaching. No one’s mentored me more to be a coach to young men. That’s what the man is all about.”
Tim Warner, who’s now a dairy farmer in Spokane, drove down to pay tribute to the man he played for from 1988-1991. Warner said that the influence Osmundson has is on the entire state. He wears his Spudder T-shirt to games in Zillah and Ephrata. Invariably coaches come up to him and say “Did Ozzie coach you? You’re welcome here.’’
Todd Otos, a 1984 graduate who played baseball and football for Osmundson, shared his thoughts.
“When I was a freshman in high school, you have a gaze about you. Sports gave me an opportunity to focus and a purpose,” Otos said. “Oz was there every step of the way, guiding me, mentoring me. I wasn’t a big guy, but Oz always had faith in me.”
A retired Bremerton High School principal was another well-wisher. Chris Thompson coached with Osmundson as head coach and assistant.
“The guy is just top of the line,’’ Thompson said. “Watching Oz give kids pep talks. He just loved all kids, didn’t matter who they were. It’s easy to have success with ‘good’ kids but Ozzie was able to do that with kids who didn’t have any of that. He touched a lot of lives.”
Current Ridgefield teacher and track coach Greg Ford also chimed in.
“He’s very passionate about everything-teaching, coaching, telling a joke,’’ Ford said. “He touches different types of kids, has a good effect on them. You hope that when you raise kids they grow up … you don’t always see the fruits of your labor. This was important today – a lot of kids coming and talking.”
