A winner everywhere he’s gone, Tri-Cities coach earns WA football Hall of Fame honor

Randy Affholter had a great high school football coaching career in his first 25 years — three at Toppenish and 22 at Ellensburg.

But what he’s done since taking over the Kennewick High program in 2019 has been impressive.

He has a 61-16 record with the Lions, and multiple trips each season deep into the Class 3A postseason.

So maybe it should come as no surprise that his coaching brethren are inducting Affholter into the Washington State Football Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame this Sunday, May 18, at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) — the Seattle Seahawks headquarters.

Affholter said he was surprised when he was told about it.

“I personally never won (a state football title), so I didn’t think I’d get in,” Affholter said on Thursday.

But it’s well deserved.

So on Sunday, Affholter’s parents, sons, brothers, a couple of coaches he worked with in the past, and a couple of former players, will be there to watch his honors.

Affholter has 223 career victories. But what’s more impressive to me is the sheer number of players he helps send on to the next level — including a number of Division I prospects.

“I feel (having Division I athletes) like that’s the luck of the draw,” said Affholter. “We’ve been fortunate.”

I once asked him last year about two of his players who were getting offers from schools — players that the previous season hadn’t really gotten the spotlight as juniors.

Affholter told me they had both come to him, separately, and asked how they could move on to play college football.

“I told them they needed to have good grades, first of all,” said Affholter.

The players took care of things in the classroom, and Affholter and his staff did their best to get the word out to their college contacts.

They’ve done their best to get their players recognition.

“I feel that’s one of my jobs,” Affholter said.

Now it’s only right that Affholter gets his own recognition.