Longtime area track coach Heintz dies
Apr 16, 2018Daily WorldEarl Heintz, longtime track coach at Port Barre and other area schools, died Wednesday after a long illness.(Photo: Advertiser file photo)State championships were spread throughout the 40-year coaching career of Earl Heintz, whose loyalty to his players and athletes combined to help him with that success, according to one former coaching colleague.Heintz, who died at 69 on Wednesday at Senior Village in Opelousas following a lengthy illness, coached track teams that won three state titles at Port Barre. In addition he served as an assistant on two state champion football teams.Despite those coaching accomplishments, Heintz never abandoned the attention he gave to his family, said former Port Barre athletic director and head football coach Mac Mistric.“With Earl, it was always family first and his work a close second. He was a military man from way back, a Marine and someone who always had that loyalty to his kids and the schools where he coached.“All the kids that I know that he coached said the same thing: They could count on him. They said they saw a coach that was out there always doing his best and that made them do their best. With those things in mind, you knew that you had accomplished something at the end of the day,” said Mistric.Mistric said despite Heintz’s dedication to his coaching, he never let that responsibility interfere with the relationship he had with his family.“There was never a doubt that he was a very family-oriented guy and he never let his coaching get in front of that. It was always nice to see his family there with him both during the games and afterward when we would have the get togethers,” Mistric said.Former Port Barre athletic director and head coach Donnie Perron said Heintz was hired at the school during the 1990s and stayed until his retirement several years ago.“We were looking for another coach and (Heintz) was also a math teacher. That proved to be a perfect fit for us, because he was a good teacher and a good coach.“What made... (Opelousas Daily World)
