Richard W. Sandstrom '64 Endowment

A Coach Reflects

by Andy Hendricks ’83

This story originally appeared in the Spring 2011 edition of Panther Tracks Magazine

After being asked to develop a reflection on my relationship with Dick Sandstrom, I tried to think back on the first encounter I had with him. It had to have been in the fall of 1980. I was a clueless freshman sitting in a class entitled Psycho-Physical Development. I wasn’t quite certain what that meant, but in those days of MRC, the only normal titled course was math. It certainly was not PE as we had to learn all of the bones and muscles of the body, as well as the physics of athletics. Mr. Sandstrom worked us hard and we knew that the course was not for slackers. He was gruff, but thought-provoking. He exposed us to issues that we still see in athletics and society before it was vogue to do so.

Another side of Dick’s personality was found on the soccer field. At the time, he was also the varsity football coach. Both teams referred to him as “Coach Death.” As the name implies, he did not immediately come across as the light-hearted, rah-rah coach. It took some time to get used to him, but as my career – and I use this term lightly in regards to my playing days – developed, I found Dick to be fiercely loyal toward his players. He built a sense of community and loyalty that is a testament to his vision of team.

When I returned to Prep in 1987, it was a logical step for me to work with him as an assistant soccer coach. After a couple of years as the freshman coach, I joined the varsity team when Dick took a leave for heart surgery. I was told my job was to alleviate his stress level. That may have been the intention, but over the years, the reverse is most often the case. Dick has a deeply rooted wisdom in regards to sport, especially the idea that the athlete is not making a mistake simply to upset the coaches. The impact of this wisdom is powerful; accept the athletes for who they are. Former Prep Athletic Director Tom Doyle once noted that no other coach at Prep has as many former players return to visit and check in about life. I believe this is still the case today.

Because of my work with Dick on the soccer field, former school President Greg Vance S.J. thought it would be a good idea for me to assist Dick in overseeing the facilities when Mr. Dave Thomas, S.J. left. Not certain what I was in for, but drawing on the trust I have in Dick, I agreed. It is in this position that I see all sides of him. Dick is fond of saying that the facilities office is the beast of burden for the school and that I am the brains and he is another part of the anatomy. He is right, but he isn’t the hind end, but the heart. He is still gruff, still prone to frustrating bursts, but it is because he cares so deeply. He is much more prone to try to troubleshoot an issue than I; to try to solve a problem he did not create nor can really solve. This is his way of living out Cura Personalis.

The final image that you must have if you want to really know Dick is to capture a glimpse of him when he is around young children, especially his grandchildren. I see the true Dick Sandstrom at these moments. He lets the faculty and staff see this side of him each Christmas season when the “Swedish Chef” makes his appearance and cooks Swedish pancakes for us. It is in these moments that you discover just how loving Dick is.

To have had the opportunity to share time with Dick has been a gift. He represents what is good about Seattle Prep – loyal, caring, loving and challenging. He embodied the “Grad at Grad” before it was so named. He knows the sacrifices that come with these values and has inspired me to try to live up to them. Finally, I believe that the measure of a person is the legacy that is left and I hope he knows that he has left quite a legacy through his work at Prep and the many lives he has helped to form.