LUCKEY — Eastwood’s boys track and field team will have a new head coach next season.
Brian Sabo, who is expected to fill the position, isn’t a stranger to the Eagle program.
He’s been an assistant coach at the school since 1998, helping Eastwood win 11 straight Suburban Lakes
League championships and back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010.
Gary White retired as the team’s head coach earlier this month after 23 seasons.
White informed Eastwood athletics director Chris Fahim of his retirement and Sabo’s taking over the
program on June 6. Sabo’s hiring still has to approved by the Eastwood Board of Education.
“I’m excited,” said Sabo, who graduated from Bowling Green State University where he competed in the pole
vault and ran on several relay teams. “It’s a lot easier when you take over a program that’s been built
by someone like Gary. It’s been a great journey with him. I’ve learned so much about coaching, being
around kids and teaching kids from being around Gary.
“There will be some changes to the program, but things won’t change that much. I’ll have to do a lot of
the little things now that Gary did, but the kids will still get the same passion, the same intensity,
the same discipline, the same effort from me that they’ve always gotten.”
Sabo, 37, teaches physical education at Eastwood Middle School. He also coaches middle school football
and is the high school’s strength training coordinator.
“He cares about the kids, that’s going to be the No. 1 thing with him,” White said. “You can’t fool kids.
They can see honesty and they can see deceit. There’s no deceit in this guy. They will respond to that.
That’s his greatest characteristic. He’s extremely knowledgeable about all of the events and I know
he’ll allow his assistant coaches to be greatly involved as well.
“I give this to him openly,” White added. “I have so much trust in him. He can change whatever he wants
and I know he will change some things, but he is going to do a great job.
Sabo’s wife, Nikki, is Eastwood’s head girls track coach.