Coach Clyde has been a resident of Auburn his entire life and is a graduate of Auburn High School where he was an outstanding basketball and baseball player. He went on to Seattle Pacific University on a basketball and baseball scholarship and eventually ended up concentrating only on basketball. His free throw shooting percentage record held up for many years, but was recently broken.
Upon graduating from Seattle Pacific College in 1964, Jerry began his coaching career at Orting High School where he remained until retirement. His first three years at Orting Jerry was the Junior Varsity Coach where his record was 49 wins and 9 losses. During these years the varsity placed sixth and second in State.
He assumed the head coaching position at Orting High School in 1967 and remained there for the next 26 years until he retired from coaching in 1993. During the 26 years as head coach, Orting basketball teams won 390 games and lost 192, with 13 League and Division championships. Jerry’s teams also had 19 district appearances and won six of them, Coach Clyde teams had 12 State tournament appearances, and won the State championship in 1983. Between the years 82-85 the Orting basketball teams went 80 and 18 with 27-0 record at one stretch at home.
Coach Clyde was named Washington State Coach of the Year in 1982-83 and that same year The Tacoma Tribune named him High School Coach of the Year for all high school sports. Jerry coached the All State team in 1983. He has also been named League and District coach of the year numerous times.
Jerry and his wife Kathy have one son, Blaine, who is a Young Life Director in Seattle,
working with the handicapped in various high school.
Coach Clyde had great support from his entire family including his wife, mother, father, brothers, sisters, and “the community of Ort1.ng”. To his basketball players, “THANKS” for the many great years and a “LIFETIME OF MEMORIES”.
