He was a coaching legend in the Tri-Cities. He’ll be missed by many

Among some of Leon Rice’s prized possessions is a collection of bar coasters from a former Richland watering hole. On the back are plays drawn up by former Richland High School basketball coach Frank Teverbaugh.

Now the head coach of the Boise State basketball team, Rice has yet to implement any of those plays. But he fondly remembers Teverbaugh taking the time to educate him on the game.

“I wish I had them all,” said Rice, a 1982 Richland graduate. “The great part was how he delivered it. We would go to the Gaslight and if I bought a few beers, he would talk basketball with me all night. Pints were $1.25 back then, but it would cost me more than $5.”

Teverbaugh, 85, died Tuesday. He leaves behind a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

“We coached freshman football together for 17 years,” said former Richland baseball coach Ben Jacobs. “He coached the defense and I coached the offense. We had some great teams. Frank taught me a lot about coaching, being around athletes and getting the best out of them. He was the real deal.

“He was the best X’s and O’s guy I have ever been around.”

A legend in the making

Before he became an icon at Richland, Teverbaugh put Reardan High School on the map, winning two Class B state basketball titles and two more in football.

Teverbaugh’s basketball program was 165-29 in eight years, including a 57-game winning streak through two undefeated seasons and state titles in 1966-67.

Teverbaugh arrived in Richland in 1970, taking over a successful basketball program from the popular and successful Art Dawald, whose name adorns the school’s gym.

In his time with the Bombers, Teverbaugh posted a 155-23 record with a state title in 1972. That championship team went 23-2.

Among some of Teverbaugh’s top players was a 6-foot-4 post player named Roger Sonderland.

“I played for him for three years,” said Sonderland, who won more than 400 games in 30-plus seasons coaching at River View High School.

“We took second in 1977. That was his final game for the Bombers. He was old school. He would get on you — especially me.”

Over 15 years between Reardan and Richland, Teverbaugh posted a 320-52 record. He still has the highest winning percentage in Washington high school basketball at 86 percent.

After Richland, Teverbaugh coached at Columbia Basin College, leading the Hawks to an NWAC title in 1981.

Teverbaugh is the only coach in the state’s history to have won titles at three different levels: Class B, Class 3A and college (NWAC).

It starts with the freshmen

One year, Teverbaugh and Jacobs took a team that had won one game the year before at Carmichael Middle School, and turned them into a powerhouse.

“Back in the old Big Nine, there were no patsies,” Jacobs said. “Even at the freshman level. Everything had a reason in practice — that transcends to the game. Richland, for the most part, you get good talent.”

Teverbaugh and Jacobs put together a perfect season in 1978. They went undefeated and outscored opponents 195-0.

“Frank could flat out coach,” Jacobs said.

Rice was on that 1978 freshman team. In a game against Walla Walla, Jacobs sent him onto the field and told him to run the ball. Rice unleashed a long touchdown pass instead. As you can imagine, he got an earful on the sidelines from his coach.

“We were only up 38-0,” Rice chuckled. “I didn’t believe the lead was safe. I read the blitz and a threw a long pass.”

By the time Rice was ready for varsity basketball, Teverbaugh was gone. He instead played for Phil Neill.

Life lessons

Rice kept his friendship with Teverbaugh through the years. He would show up at Gonzaga, where Rice was an assistant for Mark Few, and again at Boise State.

“I just loved him and I learned so much from him,” Rice said. “When I was at Gonzaga, he sat and watched film with me for an entire day. When Frank said something, I listened. He can coach any sport.

“He is one of the best coaches I have been around.”

In 2016, Teverbaugh showed up at Boise State to watch a game between the Broncos and Northwest Christian, where Rice’s son Brock played. The Richland connection was strengthened with Dick Cartmell officiating the game. BSU won 91-76.

“That was the last time I saw Frank,” Rice said. “He leaves such a legacy with Bomber basketball. I never got to play for him, but I took so much away from his mentorship. I always valued his opinion.”

Sonderland last saw Teverbaugh in February when they went to watch Richland play Davis in a state playoff game. It was an 86-61 win by the Bombers.

“He loved sports,” Sonderland said. “He meant a lot to the Richland community.”

The early years

After graduating from Mountain Home High School in Idaho, Teverbaugh went to Boise Junior College (now Boise State). He was a rare four-sport athlete in college, lettering in football, basketball, baseball and track from 1951-53.

In 1952, Teverbaugh caught three touchdown passes in a football game against Weber State. He also was a forward on the basketball team and played in the outfield for the baseball team.

He went to the University of Idaho in 1954 to play football. He caught the only touchdown in a 10-0 upset win over Washington State. It was was the first time the Vandals had beaten the Cougars in 29 years. Hall of Famer Jerry Kramer was a freshman on the 1954 team.

Teverbaugh was inducted into the Boise State Hall of Fame in 1988. The Central Washington Sports Hall of Fame came calling in 2005.

He also is in the Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1992), and the Richland High School Hall of Fame.