Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2006 Neil Padgett Central Dewitt Hall of Fame Induction Class 2006

Inducted for Outstanding Contributions as a coach of Central High School

Biography Neil Padgett started his teaching and coaching career at Central Community Schools in 1964 in with 7th Grade BKB and Asst. 8th Grade FB duties.   A few years later, at the age of 27, Neil Padgett was named the Head Varsity Coach and began his tenure for the next 30 years of Varsity Saber Basketball.  During the course of his coaching career, Neil coached several outstanding athletes and teams.  The 1980-81 Boys Basketball team was the Class 2A State Champions.  Neil Padgett coached 5 Big Bend Championship teams in addition to the two teams that qualified for State.  He amassed 378 wins during his coaching career.  

Article from the Observer Long-time Central boys basketball coach Neil Padgett has something in common with Duncan and the 1990 Saber girls track team – his 1981 Saber basketball team was the first Central boys team winning a state championship. That team was inducted into the Central Hall of Fame in 2005. A year later their coach joins them. Padgett, who died in 2002 from cancer, spent 30 years as the varsity boys basketball coach. He won 378 games, was the 1996 Iowa Coach of the Year, and in 2001 was inducted into the Iowa Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. After turning down a job offer at Calamus, Padgett accepted an offer from Central. He started as the seventh-grade basketball coach and an assistant on the eighth-grade football team during the 1964-65 school year. In those days coaches at the middle school stayed with a team for two years, so Padgett had the same group in seventh and eighth grade. Following his second year, he was prepared to move on in search of a bigger challenge. In a 1999 interview with The Observer, Padgett talked about his era. “We played a pretty short season,” he explained, “and I was looking for a little bit more. I was ready to leave for something else when (former athletic director) Harold Birney said, ‘Don’t make a decision yet.’

The Observer (cont.) The varsity head coach had been asking for an assistant for several years, so they created that position. “I had to go out and get certified to teach driver’s ed. I started out as the varsity assistant under Jack McCreary. That lasted one year, and then I took the sophomore job for two years. After that, I got the varsity job.” Just 27 at the time, Padgett never thought he would spend his entire head coaching career at Central, but that’s the way it turned out. During his 30 years leading the varsity, Padgett coached numerous all- conference and all-state players; he led the Sabers to five Big Bend championships and six runner-up finishes; his 1996 team qualified for the state tournament, and the 1981 team won state. The overtime win over Maple Valley of Mapleton was one of the 378 games he won at Central. One thing that was important for Padgett was going out on his own terms. He didn’t want to retire because of health issues or because he was forced out. Not only was it his decision to step down following the 1998-99 season, the job he did that final season on the Central bench proved he was still at the top of his game. The Sabers went 13- 1 in conference play that season, winning the Big Bend championship.

The Observer (cont.) Two years later, at half-time of the 2001 class 4A state championship game between Urbandale and Indianola, Padgett, along with three other coaches, received the ultimate honor — he was inducted into the Iowa High School Hall of Fame. “I am very honored to be selected for the hall of fame,” he told The Observer. “I look at it as an award for the program. You look at all the great players who came through; they are the ones who made it happen. There were a lot of coaches who helped get the program where it is. They deserve a lot of credit, this is an award for them. This is an award for the Central basketball program. I just kind of went along for the ride.” That was typical Padgett. He always seemed to be happier out of the bright lights, content to sit back and let others take credit. Try as he may, former players, opposing coaches and Central fans knew the lion’s share of credit for all the success the basketball program enjoyed under Padgett belongs to the young lad from Letts, Ia., who in sixth grade told his teacher he was going to be a coach one day. Not only was Padgett a great coach, he was a pretty good prophet, as well.