Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship

One of the most popular scholarships administered by the Snohomish Education Foundation, the Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship provides $1,000 a year to each of two graduating seniors from Snohomish High School and Glacier Peak High School. The scholarship is renewable annually, so recipients are eligible to receive $4,000 during their four years of college.

23 college-bound Snohomish graduates have received an Armstrong scholarship:

2007: Nick Danielson
2008: Molly Miller, Bradley Perry
2009: Emily Guthrie, Derek Britton
2010: Amanda Keithley (SHS), Ben Kaestner (GPHS – first graduating class)
2011: Levy Sterley (SHS), Sarah Desautels (GPHS)
2012: Shelby Mills (SHS), Evan Nelson (GPHS)
2013: Kyle Gionet (SHS), Madison Ober (GPHS)
2014: Spencer Lipke (SHS), Jessica Miller (GPHS)
2015: Spencer Pettit (SHS), Emily Minogue (GPHS)
2016 – Peyton Plucker (SHS), Sarah Steranka (GPHS)
2017 – Kathryn Brandvold (SHS), Brock Bradley (GPHS)
2018 – Keegan Stich (SHS), Alyssa Jordan (GPHS)

 

Ironically, because Coach Armstrong passed away in 1999, many young people today—even those benefitting from this scholarship fund—may know very little about this very successful and beloved football coach. Dick Armstrong came to Snohomish High School in 1963 as a biology and physical education teacher and—unforgettably—as head football coach.

Armstrong retired from Snohomish in 1994 with 272 career victories, making him the winningest coach in Washington State high school football history at the time. In his 32 seasons at Snohomish, he compiled 243 wins. His teams won two state championships and won or shared 16 league titles, including 13 straight from 1976–88. This period is often referred to as the “Armstrong Era.”

Armstrong received many honors while coaching at Snohomish. In 1977, the Everett Herald named him “Man of the Year” in sports. In 1978, he was named the Washington State Football Coach of the Year by the National High School Coaches Athletic Association.

Armstrong was best known for his “tough love” approach to the game. He would push his athletes hard and demand they leave nothing on the field. But the key to his ability to motivate was that his players knew Armstrong genuinely cared about them.

Former Armstrong players and other SHS alums have teamed up with SEF to create the Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship fund in Coach Armstrong’s memory. Scholarship recipients are Snohomish School District graduates who Coach Armstrong would have loved—athletes who are highly competitive, determined to win, and willing to put in the hard work required to perform at a high level. In many cases, these are kids who might not otherwise go to college, without the scholarships.

Interested in contributing to this scholarship fund?

Click here to make a donation today! All donations are fully tax-deductible.

Another way to help deserving young students in Coach Armstrong’s memory is to participate in the annual Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament or by purchasing a paver (to be engraved with your name or brief message), set alongside others at the base of the Coach Armstrong Memorial statue at Veterans Memorial Stadium. For more information on the Coach Armstrong Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament, click here. For more info on ordering a paver stone, visit the Dick Armstrong pages on the Snohomish School District website.

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