Timberlake football coach hospitalized

SPIRIT LAKE — Players and members of the coaching staff knew something wasn’t right with coach Roy Albertson when they began practice on Tuesday afternoon in Spirit Lake.

“When Roy came to practice, he wasn’t feeling well,” longtime Timberlake assistant football and track and field coach Brian Kluss said. “We thought he’d passed out on the field while the players were stretching. At that point, we weren’t really sure what was going on and had to analyze the situation.”

Albertson, in his 15th year as football coach at Timberlake High, suffered a heart attack before Tuesday’s practice near the football field according to first-year Timberlake High principal John Klingaman.

According to a Northern Lakes Fire Protection District report, Albertson, 69, received immediate CPR and was given one shock from a defibrillator before regaining consciousness. He was breathing on his own when paramedics arrived before being life-flighted to Kootenai Health after observations at the field.

“Our coaches and the local EMTs did an amazing job of responding to it,” Klingaman said. “They were great.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Albertson was listed in serious condition at Kootenai Health, with surgery scheduled for later in the day.

“He was in great spirits when I saw him Tuesday night,” said Kluss, who will be the interim coach while Albertson recovers. “He looked really, really good. The prognosis is really good.”

Kluss has been a varsity assistant with the program since 1999, coached with Albertson since 2003 at Timberlake and previously coached at Preston High.

Timberlake is scheduled to take on district rival Lakeland on Friday in Rathdrum.

“Roy’s Canadian, so we’re hoping to get some Canadian flag socks to wear for the game,” Kluss said. “We like to harass him about it, so we thought it would be a nice touch.”

Albertson is also an assistant track coach, as well as the fitness and conditioning teacher at Timberlake High.