John Mannion, right, made a big move - and his whole family was on board for his dream.
Photo courtesy of ourtownlive.com
John Mannion, father of Oregon State senior quarterback Sean Mannion, made a big move in his career a few years ago. And his family supported him fully as he wanted to put his own stamp on revitalizing a program - 600 miles away.
Being a great coach and a great father at the same time isn't easy, but the
Silverton (Ore.) head coach has pulled it all off. His son Sean was headed to play for the Beavers and at the same time, John, wife Inga and their three younger children moved from Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.) in the suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area to the small town in Oregon.
He has taken a lackluster program to great heights in Oregon while his son has thrown himself into Heisman Trophy discussions. And daughter Katie earned all-state softball honors before heading to Oregon State as well. Don't forget daughter Megan, a former class president at Silverton, and son Brian, who's still too young for high school.
"It
was pretty gut-wrenching," John told Senior Writer Mitch Stephens. "I mean this was a family decision
and it had to be right for everyone. It wasn't so tough because of
where we were going — everything felt right about that — but where we
were leaving. We knew Silverton had so much to offer us. We just had to
get there."
Sean Mannion stops by to see his dad's team sometimes. And the bond is obvious.
"When
Sean shows up, it really picks us up," player Mathias Kuenzi said. "It's great to see
him and his dad together. He doesn't really say it but you can tell
coach is proud."
