THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: TALES FROM THE ROAD: A wife happy to see the town want her husband out as coach

Don Haynes, who passed away last September at age 91, was a Hall of Fame basketball coach — and perhaps an even better person.

But there was a couple of years in Astoria, Ore., in the early 1970s when the locals were apparently not impressed.

"He coached in Astoria for, I think, two years," Don's son, Tyler, recalled. "He coached everywhere, and my mom (Shirley) hated Astoria; just hated it. It set the record for most consecutive rainy days. You can imagine Astoria, Ore. And it’s a record year for rain.

"I wasn’t even 1 year old yet, and my mom was staying at home, and after the season someone knocked on the door during the day and she answered it and it was this guy who had a petition — to get the boys basketball coach fired," Tyler said. "'He cut all the seniors, and kept sophomores ... we really think he’s a terrible coach and we’d like your support in getting rid of him.'

"So my mom said, 'Let me look at that petition.' She looked outside, and she signed the petition to fire my dad!

"The guy says, 'We really appreciate your support Mrs. .... ' and he looks at the petition. She’s like, ‘Look, if you can get me out of this town, I’ll sign anything.’

"The best thing about the story is they sent dad the petition, so dad’s at home reading the petition. And he’s like, ‘Oh, I can’t believe the Johnsons signed this, and I can’t believe (so and so) signed this. Then he came across my mom’s name ... and he said 'All right, I’ll start looking for a new job.'

"And then he went to Twin Falls and won a state championship.

"It’s a story that's been told in our family many times," Tyler said.

THERE'S A reason basketball officials are often escorted off the court at halftime and the end of games — in case someone wants to give them a piece of their mind.

Dan Malcolm ran into that one time in Bonners Ferry. He and Steve Hudson were working a Badgers' game against Priest River.

"We did the first half, just a piece of cake, no problem," Malcolm recalled. "Nobody said anything at all. At the end of gym there they have a fountain that they never turn off; it’s just the best water in the world. "Steve went right on by it, and went down the hall, into the principal’s office (where the refs changed), next to the concession stand.

"I stopped and I get a drink, and I got my jacket over my left arm, and there’s this guys, up against the wall, and he’s says, ‘You’re sh*tty.’ I said, 'Oh, I know that.'

"And I went on by him.

"And he followed me.

"I opened up the door (to the principal’s office) with my left hand, and he came at me. He kept coming at me and he says, 'No, you’re really f-in sh*t.’

"I go ‘Oh, really. You can say anything you want out there (in the gym); you’re not going to say anything here.'

"And about that time, he left-hand hooked me, right in the jaw.

"So I put my arms on him and said 'You better get the *&^% out of here, pal.'

"And he kept coming, so I just beat the *&#$ out of him," Malcolm said. "I had him down and I had a hold of the hair on his head. I could have just busted him until the blood was coming out, but there were little kids standing there by the concession stand. So I had to pick him up.

"Then they wanted me to go up and press charges.

"At first somebody had told the (Bonners Ferry) principal that I had hit him first, and I was boiling then.

"But the (Bonners) coach’s wife saw the whole thing, and that’s what saved me, because the principal was thinking I really did (swing first)."

Malcolm boxed growing up.

"I liked boxing; I hated fights. But I could protect myself," he said.

"The police came, but they were coming to arrest me; the principal thought that I’d started it."

"When I had (the angry fan) up against the wall, he had a coat on and the zipper caught me right across the cheek and opened it up a little bit … I go into the locker room and Steve Hudson goes, 'My god, Dan, what happened?' …

Malcolm then went out and reffed the second half with Hudson.

"Two policemen showed up at the door and all I knew was, they thought I hit that guy first," Malcolm said. "So now I’m thinking I’m going to get arrested. I couldn’t concentrate on anything; it was terrible.

"I reffed the second half, but I wish I hadn’t. But they never kicked (the fan) out, because they thought I was the bad guy … (but) the coach’s wife saw the whole thing."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @CdAPressSports.