I was saddened to learn of legendary Murdo coach Jerry Applebee’s passing earlier this month. As he was for many people in the Murdo community, Coach Applebee was a formative figure in my life. He was my basketball and track coach, and he set an example for us athletes of hard work, determination, and sportsmanship.

The man we called Coach App leaves a proud legacy, which includes the annual Jones County Invitational basketball tournament that he and my dad started in 1969. I have fond memories of playing in that tournament, and I still love attending it. I know he’ll be looking down as the teams take the court for this year’s tournament – a court that is named in his honor.

Among the memories I have of Coach Applebee, a lot of them are on that court. You could never miss his loud voice bouncing off the ceiling in that auditorium. The stands could be full, the game at full throttle, but you could be sure that when Jones County was playing a basketball game, you could hear Coach Applebee’s raspy, strong, and resonant voice anywhere in the gymnasium.

That was as true in track and field. If our dirt track was too wet, we might run to the local airport and do our workouts on the runway. He would stand at one end; the runners would stand on the other a half mile away – even then you could hear him. When we ran the state track meet at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls, you could hear his voice up in the crowd telling you to do better and run harder.

One of my clearest memories of Coach Applebee happened during my senior year. We were playing in the district championship basketball game with a chance to make the playoffs and maybe go to the state tournament, every Murdo kid’s dream. We were playing our rival Lyman County, and it was a back-and-forth game. We were down one point with five seconds to go, so Coach App called a play. My teammate inbounded the ball, one set a screen for me on the baseline, I fired off a shot, and it bounced off the back of the rim. We lost the game.

After the game, I was devastated. I had lost my last opportunity to play in the state basketball tournament. I felt like I had let myself and my teammates down. As I was sitting in the locker room by myself, Coach Applebee came in and tapped me on the shoulder. He said, “John, it’s time to get on the bus. And by the way, track starts next week.” Track wasn’t my favorite sport, but he was sending an important message, which is: You gave it your best shot, you gave it everything you had, there’s always another sport, there’s another day, and you’re going to get another opportunity down the road.

I’m going to miss seeing Coach Applebee on my visits to Murdo, and I remain deeply grateful for everything he taught me.