Coupeville Sports

Dalton (left) and Mike Engle, two generations of hard-hitting Wolf linebackers.

#58 in your program and #1 in your hearts.

There are some who question the emphasis placed on sports in high school.

To those people, I offer the case of Mike Engle.

Father of three, career firefighter, rock in the community he grew up in, and a kid who became a success because of the joy and positive rewards sports offered him.

“I think the best memories were my friends and sports. Sports were the one thing I put my whole heart and soul into,” Engle said. “It was the one thing I felt I was good at, and it was the one thing that gave me confidence, made me feel like I was as good as everyone else somehow.

“That’s one of the reasons I believe sports are so important for kids,” he added. “Especially the ones that struggle with academics like I did.”

The Coupeville High School Class of 1982 grad, the Athlete of the Year his senior season, remains one of the standout Wolves of all time, even 30 years after graduation.

He lettered three years in football (the only sophomore to do so), where he was a Second-Team All-Conference pick at linebacker two seasons, played basketball and baseball and went to state in track as a two-sport threat (shot put and discus).

At his graduation, he held CHS records in the shot put, discus and javelin.

Through it all, football was the sport nearest and dearest to his heart.

His senior season he had 60+ tackles through four games, before an injury cost him the rest of the season. Still, those four games were enough to net him Second-Team All-Conference, a sign opposing coaches recognized what a terror he was, even in limited duty.

“I loved the “zone” that you get into during the game,” Engle said. “Figuring out what the opposing coach was going to call, based on down and distance.

“The game against La Conner I had 17 or 18 tackles and a fumble recovery,” he added. “I loved being so focused that you didn’t hear the crowd or what quarter it was. I still get excited thinking about it.”

Living out his dreams on the gridiron gave Engle a chance to taste what life was like for the “big boys” who he had watched from afar as a kid.

“I remember when I was in junior high how cool the high schoolers seemed, i.e. the ‘jocks’,” Engle said. “There were a few (Bill Jareld, Keith Jameson) that were encouraging, which led me to believe I might have what it took to succeed.

“Other than that, I just remember my classmates/friends making it a fun year, even if we didn’t win a game,” he added.

Injuries cut short a football career at Wenatchee Valley College and Engle transitioned into teaching — getting a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Washington State University — before moving into full-time firefighting as a career.

Along the way, he helped to bring Coupeville and Oak Harbor together by marrying the former MaryAnn Fakkema, and the couple have had three children, daughters Erin and Miranda and middle son Dalton.

Seeing his own children take their parents athletic heritages and expand upon them has been one of the biggest blessings of his life.

Dalton followed his dad most closely, playing football with the same passion and in a “weird but cool” twist repeating his father’s twin selection as Homecoming King and Athlete of the Year as a senior.

“Watching our kids play has been awesome,” Engle said. “Of course, you always want your kid to have a lot of playing time so they can get better, but the best part is seeing the confidence increase and them get it.

“It’s hard to describe the emotion you feel when your kid makes a great play and contributes to the team,” he added. “We felt that keeping our kids active was part of being good parents, and it was a great way to spend quality time with our kids.”

If his children eclipse their dad one day, he’s fine with that. Just being remembered for his own accomplishments is enough.

“When Dalton was a freshman or sophomore, we were at a home game and I said I hope he ends up better than I was,” Engle said. “Dale Folkestad said ‘you were a hell of a linebacker, he’d do well to be as good as you were.’

“I guess that’s how I want to be remembered,” he added. “I think I just wanted to have earned any accolades. There were some good athletes at our school.”