THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Double dose of sadness this past week

This past week was a tough one in the local sports world.

Aaron Robb, the Coeur d’Alene native who starred at Gonzaga Prep and went on to play football at Notre Dame, passing away in a drowning accident last Saturday.

Craig Tefft, the St. Maries football and baseball coach, passing away Tuesday from colon cancer.

IN THE 1980s, Robb was one of a handful of kids from Coeur d’Alene who went in to Spokane to attend and play for Prep.

(Funny how times change — in recent years, a few G-Prep athletes have transferred to Coeur d’Alene. And a few other athletes at Greater Spokane League schools have found their way to North Idaho schools.)

I was working in Sandpoint, observing from afar when Aaron was doing his thing as a Bullpup, and later in South Bend. Someone going to Notre Dame from here was a HUGE deal back then.

Years later, I would get to know Aaron while working out at the local health club. I would describe him as quietly respectful. Being the “nosey” sports writer, I would sometimes try to steer the conversation toward those Prep and Notre Dame days, and he would always quietly downplay whatever happened back then.

He was a star athlete in those days, but you wouldn’t hear that from him.

I think he was just as happy to be known as Aaron Robb, community member and owner of an iconic bar in downtown Coeur d’Alene, a bar his father previously owned.

ONE THING that struck me about Craig Tefft going through his battle with cancer — the outpouring of support from the OTHER schools.

Other schools — not just St. Maries — joined in and posted “Lumberjack Strong” on their social media sites. Other schools wore T-shirts in support of Tefft at basketball games last winter.

This wasn’t just St. Maries’ loss, this was North Idaho’s loss.

I THOUGHT back to some of the other sports figures we’ve lost in recent years, far too soon — like Jeff Hinz, Post Falls football coach, and Cindy Derr, Clark Fork volleyball coach, and, years ago, soccer coach Bill Eisenwinter.

In the valley, there’s Dave Rounds, and Kirby Krulitz and Bob Schreiber, to name a few.

When stuff like this happens, there’s that oft-repeated phrase that’s meant to comfort you — “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

That’s helpful, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.