Over fall break, Ken Sears checked skydiving off of life’s to-do list during a trip to California to visit his son.
There is photographic proof of his feat, an expressionless Sears only a few feet into his 10,000-foot drop back to Earth.
The picture is, in many ways, the perfect summarization of Sears, 60, who is in his eighth and final school year as the Whiteland High School athletic director. Unafraid to widen his comfort zone by attempting new things, Sears almost always does so in a relatively stoic fashion.
All told, he’s been part of the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation for about four decades in various capacities — student, teacher, coach and administrator. The 1978 Whiteland graduate, considered by many to be one of the best all-around athletes in school history, will be on the job until June 30.
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“If you’ve noticed in my career, I’m kind of a seven-year-itch guy,” Sears said. “I love doing what I’m doing, but I like trying new things. Even though I’m retiring from education, I’m ready to go try something else. I loved my coaches when I was here. They were some of the biggest influences of my life, and hopefully I had some influence on some of the kids here while I was coaching.”
Sears became AD prior to the 2012-13 school year, but he was immersed in the Clark-Pleasant Community School Corporation well before that.
He taught high school social studies for 12 years and was dean of students at the intermediate school for five before succeeding Butch Zike — the man who years earlier was his freshman basketball coach — as athletic director.
These experiences, plus the dozen years Sears worked outside of education after college, groomed him to be able to handle most situations as an AD.
“What sticks out is that I know Ken is a quality individual. He’s level-headed. Just a good man,” Zike said. “Ken puts the right things in the proper order. Winning and having a successful program are extremely important, but he understands that relationships are the most important things in athletics.
“Ken is reserved, but he’s always thinking about how he can make things better within the athletic department. Within the school. Within life.”
Sears was a three-sport standout for the Warriors, earning All-State notice in both football and baseball. He won nine varsity letters here before attending North Carolina State University, where he played in approximately 150 career baseball games and was captain of Wolfpack his junior and senior seasons.
In 1982, Sears, a senior outfielder, was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team. His 15 career triples still have him tied for third all-time in the NC State record book.
Humble to the core, Sears himself would never rattle off these or any other athletic accomplishments.
If he even remembered them, that is.
“I consider myself fairly humble. I don’t need the limelight. I’m perfectly happy sitting in the background. It’s not about me. It’s their show,” said Sears, the second of Charlie and Elfriede Sears’ six children (he has an older sister and four younger brothers). “My philosophy as an AD is that I’m here to serve the coaches, and the coaches are here to serve the kids.
“Most all of my decisions are what’s best for the kid. Sometimes they don’t think that’s what’s best for them when we have to discipline them or make some tough decisions, but bottom line, I always try to be that servant leader to my coaches.”
Football coach Darrin Fisher came to Whiteland in 2005, following a run by Sears as head coach. Despite Fisher’s many successes during his tenure, it’s still Sears’ 1999 squad that ventured deepest into the postseason, losing to Roncalli in a Class 3A semistate.
Fisher, who was hired by Zike, feels fortunate to have worked under both men.
“Ken is a relationship guy who is adaptable in any situation because he’s an outstanding communicator. He’s great with kids, with coaches, the parents and administrators,” Fisher said. “Every decision he’s made, the kids are always first in his mind. Ken was a great coach, but he’s only giving you his opinion when you ask for it or when you need to hear it.
“He’s been invaluable to me as someone I can say, ‘Here’s what I’m thinking. What do you think?’ I don’t think Ken has ever passed off a decision to anybody else.”
Todd Croy, who is wrapping up his fifth school year as Whiteland’s full-time assistant athletic director after previously serving two years in the same role on a part-time basis, meshes well with Sears. The two men have known each other for 26 years and possess different skill sets that ultimately benefit the athletics program and those who are part of it.
Croy looks forward to working alongside Sears’ eventual successor, current Whiteland middle school athletic director David Edens, but knows he’ll miss Sears.
“Ken has been an excellent mentor for me in this role and has just let me do my job,” Croy said. “We’ve got things worked out to where I do this and he does that. I just think it’s his management style. Ken is laid-back, but man, he’s focused.
“My plan is not to text him when he’s off enjoying retirement, but I know it will happen.”
