[Stardust]

While Ron Dawn’s girls’ basketball teams at Newport Central Catholic didn’t do much losing over his four seasons as coach, the effect those losses began taking on Dawn led him to announce his retirement at the team’s banquet last night.

Dawn, 56, compiled a 91-24 record in his four seasons as girls’ coach and led the Thoroughbreds to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Ninth Region championship in 2011 and to a runner-up finish in 2009. He also led them to the Touchstone Energy All ‘A’ Classic state championship in 2010 and a runner-up finish this past season, when they finished with a 19-11 record and lost in the first round of the KHSAA Ninth Region Tournament.

He also had successful stints as a boys’ coach at St. Henry and then NewCath, where he guided the 1999-2000 team to the KHSAA Ninth Region championship and to the All ‘A’ Classic state championship.

He is the only coach in state history to guide teams to both the boys’ and girls’ KHSAA state tournaments and to championships in both the boys’ and girls’ All ‘A’ Classic state tournaments.

Dawn, who resigned as NewCath’s boys’ coach after the 2000-01 season so he could watch his son Ronny play college basketball and didn’t coach again until being hired as the school’s girls’ coach before the 2008-09 season, earned his 400th career win on Feb. 3 and finished the season with 403 career victories.

Despite all of his success Dawn said it was in early January where he came to realize how hard it was becoming to put losses behind him.

“I just have a hard time letting them go,” he said. “It eats away at you, at least it does to me. The kids were great, but it just got frustrating to me.”

NewCath athletic director Rob Detzel, who succeeded Dawn as NewCath’s boys’ coach before he stepped aside following the 2005-06 season, said he admires what Dawn has accomplished.

“To do it successfully is one thing, but to do it ultra-successfully as both a boys’ coach and then a girls’ coach is simply amazing,” said Detzel. “It just goes to show how great a coach he is.”

Dawn is not retiring as a teacher at NewCath and said he will be around to offer any help his replacement may need. George Stoll has been named the new coach. Stoll, 24, is a 2006 NewCath graduate and has been an assistant girls’ coach for the past four years.

Dawn said he will use his time to watch his three grandchildren, who are in the fifth, third and first grade, play sports and to, “get back in shape.”

He said he hasn’t completely ruled out returning to coaching and may even coach an AAU team.
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