Coach Watters Inducted into Athletic Hall of Fame

Those who don’t know better may say that the plaque bearing Dave Watters’ name and image in ’s Athletic Hall of Fame was fashioned from wood and metal. But many who knew him as a health teacher and gymnastics coach know the truth.

This honor is simply laminated.

Watters, of Buffalo Grove, was inducted into the Hall of Fame last month in recognition of his accomplishments during 16 seasons as the school’s head boys gymnastics coach. During that time, his teams won five Mid-Suburban League championships, eight division championships, seven regionals and five sectionals. Seven of his teams went to the state finals, and six teams achieved national All-American status from the National Gymnastics Association.

“We had some real good teams,” Watters said. “We had a whole bunch of guys who got college scholarships.” 

“It’s nice to be recognized because it was a long time ago that I coached,” said Watters, who led the team from 1974 to 1990. “The nice thing was seeing all those guys again; how they progressed from high school, how they still remember everything, and they came back to see me.”

‘Laminated’ Memories

Watters created memories for many of his former students. A Wheeling health teacher by day, he was known for sharing random facts, such as “moose hair is hollow,” which he guaranteed students that they would remember, even if they forgot his lessons associated with the health curriculum.

He also was known for his tireless attempts to coin a popular catchphrase. From the late 1980s until his retirement in 2005, he urged students to use the word “laminated” when they needed to interject a positive adjective.

“Basically, it was that every generation has a certain language, like ‘awesome.’ I looked down at this piece of paper that said ‘district lamination’ and came up with it,” he explained.

While “laminated” has yet to sweep the nation, Watters’ former students clearly haven’t forgotten the word. A couple of years after he retired, a former student began a “That’s So LAMINATED!” Facebook group that attracted more than 200 members.

Watters said he keeps in touch with some of his former athletes, and frequently runs into Wheeling graduates around town. He may not remember all their names, but he promises he never forgets a face. If all else fails, there is one thing that always gets his attention.

“I’ll see someone in a grocery store and they’ll start to wiggle their thumb,” he said, referring to the circular motion he taught students to make, with their hand in the "thumbs up" position, as they proclaimed something was “laminated.”

Life After High School

Other students have since have left the area, but about 20 of his gymnasts, including fellow 2012 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Jeff Vanyek and Dr. Dean Manus, returned to Wheeling High School last month for the ceremony.

Vanyek, the 1978 state champion on rings, now coaches gymnastics in Arizona. Manus, the 1978 state champion on parallel bars, is a plastic surgeon in California who often is featured on shows such as Dr. 90210.

Watters claims that his own life is now dull. But, he admits, he keeps plenty busy running his own woodworking business — he makes custom cabinets, mantles and built Wheeling's Athletic Hall of Fame display — and pursuing other interests.

He enjoys watching hockey (“I haven’t missed a Blackhawks game in 10 years"), playing the piano and spending time with his family. His wife, Linda, directed and choreographed Wheeling's musicals for 24 years; their children, Nicole, Ryan and Mike, all graduates of , are now pursuing their own careers.

“I miss teaching a lot,” Watters said. “I miss the kids and everything, but it was time to move on to other things.”

Editor's Note: The author of this article was one of Dave Watters' health students. She has not yet encountered a moose, but Google search results tell her that the animal's hair is, indeed, hollow. How laminated!