Football coaching legend Paul Maechtle still preaching patience

Former Southeast High football coach Paul Maechtle built the Seminoles into a powerhouse program.

As Southeast continued growing, so did Manatee County’s population.

The boom served as the creation for two additional high schools in East Manatee County: Lakewood Ranch in the late 1990s and Braden River in the mid-2000s.

Through that, and adversity both on and off the field, came the need for patience.

And patience was Maechtle’s message during his speech Monday night at the West Coast Lodge No. 409, located at 520 30th Avenue West.

“In the Book of James in the Bible, it says, ‘You must be patient to keep your hopes high for the day the Lord is coming near,’ ” Maechtle said. “... I was just thinking about the need for patience and as I was kind of going through my life. I’m not saying I ever knew that quote from the Bible about James growing up. But as I reflect now on my life, I think that stuff comes into it.”

Brian Uphoff, a junior deacon at the West Coast Lodge No. 409, is in charge of arranging the monthly guest speakers at the mason’s lodge.

A Sarasota Riverview High alumnus, Uphoff attends the same church, Hope Lutheran located at 4635 26th Street West, as Maechtle.

“I think about the thousands of people he touched,” Uphoff said. “Guys he worked with, the names you just know. The people, today, that are businessmen that are a little bit more ethical, a little bit more thoughtful, a little bit more careful, because they take a little more pride in their community because of a guy like Paul Maechtle, who mentored them.”

Maechtle began his speech by asking the 20 or so people who attended to raise their hands, then keep them held as he asked if they’d been in the area for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years and 40 years.

Maechtle has been in Manatee County for 43 years, but the original plan for the Hall of Fame coach was one year in Florida.

Maechtle came to Southeast in 1974 as an assistant coach. His move was made possible because Bayshore opened that year.

“When they start all new schools, teachers from the existing schools have the option if they want to leave and go to another school and start up that school,” Maechtle said. “And that’s what happened.”

Maechtle, though, aimed to stick in Florida for one year and then head back to Wisconsin.

Instead, he stayed seven years.

Patience.

In 1981, Southeast needed to fill its head coaching position. Maechtle applied. He didn’t get the gig.

“When I didn’t get the job, I cried,” Maechtle said. “I remember going right to the girls basketball coach Ben ‘Buzz’ Narbut and I cried.”

Instead, the new hire bailed and then-principal Patricia Lucas offered Maechtle the job.

But Maechtle had interviews lined up in his native Wisconsin.

Patience.

Eventually, he took the Southeast head coaching job and spent 40 years as a coach in the program — the last 33 as its head coach.

In the 1980s, he squared off against future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith in a state championship loss and saw his team take a long bus ride back from Florida’s Panhandle following another state title game defeat.

Patience was needed again.

Eventually, Southeast returned to the state championship in 1993. Future Florida State star Peter Warrick let a kickoff fall, which allowed the opposition a long onside kick recovery, a short field and an eventual opening score.

Maechtle didn’t berate Warrick.

Patience.

Warrick later scored a touchdown, Southeast won its first state title and then repeated in 1994.

The Seminoles garnered the No. 1 ranking in the country heading into that season, but in the late summer Maechtle found out Warrick had a hernia injury and couldn’t play until Week 4.

By Week 3 against Sarasota Riverview, Maechtle once again was patient and listened to the doctors about Warrick.

Southeast didn’t play with him, lost the game, but eventually went back-to-back.

Patience.

This story was originally published June 27, 2017 at 7:24 AM with the headline "Football coaching legend Paul Maechtle still preaching patience."