Veteran coach bleeds Cougar green
By: Bob Nuse
Doug Ruhlman has seen it all at Montgomery High.
How could he not? He’s been teaching at the school since the day they opened the doors in 1966.
But recently there have been a couple of things he’s seen at Montgomery he wasn’t sure he’d ever get to see. One was the addition of the football program, which is now in its seventh year of existence. The other was the continued growth, which now has Montgomery as a Group IV school the largest classification in the state.
"I never thought I would see that happen," Ruhlman said. "We were a Group I school forever. We crept up to Group II and Group III and then, bang, Group IV. I never thought I would see the day when that would happen. You can get lost in this town now if you don’t know your way around. It’s grown and is a lot different."
The growth is the township and student population were factors in finally getting a football program started, which was something Ruhlman had always hoped for at the high school.
"Just trying to get it started was difficult," Ruhlman recalled. "I’ve always wanted to see it, but there were always excuses for why we shouldn’t have it. People said we were too small or that it would kill off the soccer program. But then the push was started with the Pop Warner program and I think that showed we had enough kids to be able to have both. It started to gain some momentum and then a committee was formed, which I got to be part of."
Eventually, Montgomery added football and Ruhlman joined the program as an original member of Zoran Milich’s staff.
"I think people realized that we could bring in football and that would lead to a marching band and so many more kids would get involved," Ruhlman said. "I think football got a lot of kids involved with sports that might not have participated otherwise. Anne Marie Weber, our principal at the time, was very important. She wanted it and helped get it started.
"And God bless my old friend, Charlie Webb. He was the soccer coach and athletic director for a long time. I love him, but football wasn’t going to happen while he was here. Bernie (Demsky) came in as athletic director and he was a football guy and that helped get things rolling."
The football program spent two years at the junior varsity level before moving up to the varsity level five years ago. It has continued to grow every year since.
"Having a guy like Zoran, who can motivate kids to get a program off the ground, helps so much," said Ruhlman, who has coached softball, boys’ basketball, girls’ basketball, soccer, wrestling, baseball and football at MHS. "We started from ground zero with some kids who had no idea how to play. You need the right kind of guy to do something like that."
Ruhlman may not be the head coach, but he’s the right kind of guy to be part of the staff. Milich couldn’t be happier to have the long-time coach involved.
"Doug has been the since Day One with the school and since Day One with the football program," Milich said. "The kids just love him as a coach. He gets the attention of the kids and really cares for the players. He’s like the old-time coach. He’s always prepared and he gets the most out of his players on the offensive and defensive lines.
"I always learn from him in terms of dealing with people and situations and the lessons we’re supposed to teach the young men as far as what they get out of the sport."
While Ruhlman has coached many sports at different levels, there is no question which one he enjoys the most.
"There is nothing like football," he said. "It’s so different. The carnival it turns out to be on a Friday night is such a community event. Our kids who have graduated come back and say that Friday night football was the greatest. There is nothing like it.
"Even Charlie and I would say back in the early days that the pep rally for soccer wasn’t quite the same. It’s the way the school rallies around it and how it becomes an event to be at the games. There are kids who come out early and barbecue in the parking lot before the games. I think it helps bring kids together."
Ruhlman can only wonder what Montgomery would have been like in the first 30 years if the school had a football program. He’s seen enough talented athletes in the hallways over the years to feel like the program would have succeeded even in the Group I days.
"There is no doubt we had some kids come through here that would have been great football players," Ruhlman said. "Someone like Gary Drake or the Warms kids or even a kid like Kevin East. They were all excellent athletes who could have done it but they never got the opportunity. It’s not for everybody. But there are those kids who are pretty good athletes that get an opportunity they might not have had.
"I think there was always room for both football and soccer. The soccer program has always been sound. It’s a community sport and it’s still strong here. Having a football team hasn’t had any impact on the soccer program. There is no way you can’t have both."
These days, Ruhlman is just enjoying his time on the football field. He’s been at Montgomery for 40 years, but shows no signs of slowing down. And working with the linemen keeps him on his toes.
"There’s nothing like linemen," Ruhlman said. "They are the heart and soul of a team. The only people that know they’re out there are their girlfriend and their mother. But they’re great kids to coach. It’s like having a family of wrestlers.
"I still enjoy it. I still get up in the morning ready to go. If that changes, I’m out the door. This is such a great place to teach. They treat people great. I’ve always said if you can’t work here as a teacher, you might want to find another profession. This community is a great place to work. My young ones are growing up here and I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to have them grow up here. It’s been great for me and Ellen."
Ruhlman not only has been teaching in Montgomery for 40 years, but he and his wife, Ellen, have raised their family in the town. Ruhlman has two older children from a previous marriage who both live in Virginia Scott, who lives in Roanoke and Clint, who teaches English in Richmond. He and Ellen, a Montgomery graduate, have three boys D.J, an eighth grader, Robert, a fourth grader, and 4-year-old Sean.
"Ellen and I are as Montgomery green as you can get," Ruhlman said. "She’s probably one of the best athletes to come through this school. That’s where the kids get their athletic ability from."
Eventually, the guy who has seen it all at Montgomery will get a chance to see his own children come through the school. And that would just be the icing on the cake.

