An Irishman at home at Ike

The following article is part of the Unleashed program. The author attends Eisenhower High School.

YAKIMA, Wash. -- He's Irish. His name is English. And he teaches science.

But most people at Eisenhower High School know him as an avid runner and track coach with an interesting accent and serious sense of humor.

Phil English, Ike's head track coach, has been coaching cross country and track and field in Yakima for 30 years, seven at the now-defunct Carroll High School and 23 at Eisenhower.

He has coached several state championship teams at both Carroll and Ike. And in 2001, he was named the National High School Girls' Cross Country Coach of the Year.

English grew up more than 4,000 miles away in a small town in Ireland called Cullen, in the county of Tipperary. It was in Cullen that English fell in love with running.

He began running with a local running club to which his older brother already belonged. In his first race, the 14-year-old finished sixth out of about 100 people. And he was hooked.

"I always knew I was good at running," English says. "The only person who could beat me was my sister."

He caught the eye of recruiters at Washington State University, where he studied -- and ran track -- on scholarship from 1973 to 1977, graduating with a bachelor of science degree. He says he had always been interested in biology and physiology.

"I enjoyed my time at WSU," English says. "There were great runners there, even to the international level. A lot of world record holders came from my time."

English continued his education, earning a master of science degree and teaching students to play pool as a physical education class to pay for graduate school.

For a short time, he considered going to Australia with his friend from Ireland. He also contemplated a doctorate program in Oregon.

But, "I decided I didn't want to go to school that long," says English, who instead found himself looking for a job.

"There was a job in Spokane with elementary kids, and one in Yakima with older kids," he says. "I decided I could probably handle myself better with the older kids."

English worked at the old Carroll High School for seven years, then transferred to Ike, where he has been teaching biology and coaching ever since.

At Carroll, English coached Robert Price, who's now a history teacher and fellow cross country and track and field coach at Ike.

"It's been fun to know someone that long," Price says, adding, "Phil is innovative and demanding. Students respond to different characters than dreary old teachers. He won't necessarily be your friend, but a great advocate. As long as you follow his rules, you'll be fine."

Students and runners love English, too. They simply and affectionately call him "Mister."

"He's nice, empathetic, funny, hard, and keeps you on track," says Ike junior Timothy Cummings. "He really cares about his runners and makes sure you have everything you need to compete and do well in school, too."

"His accent makes everything he says funny," adds fellow Ike junior and runner Casey Guilland. "Even if he's trying to be serious, he's funny."

After more than 30 years in America, English still speaks with a detectable brogue. He also still speaks a little Gaelic, but admits, "I lost some of it when I came over."

English returns to Ireland every two years to visit his brothers and sisters. What does he love about his native country?

"The social connection between families is great," he says. "You can drop into people's houses. There's an open-door policy."

After all these years, English hasn't become a U.S. citizen but says he is planning to. What does he like about America?

"A great deal can be attained through hard work," he says. "There aren't barriers like social classes. There is an openness and acceptance."

English met his wife Darcy as an undergraduate at WSU, and they have two grown kids: Liza, a teacher in Issaquah, and Michael, who works for Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Today, on St. Patrick's Day, which celebrates the most recognized patron saint of Ireland, he offers this advice: "Leprechauns best be avoided, but if you stumble across a pot of gold, you should investigate."

* Jenna Davison is a junior at Eisenhower High School and a member of the Herald-Republic's Unleashed journalism program for high school students.