NUSE SENSE

By: centraljersey.com
He was so much more than just Voice of the Pirates.
Brian Welsh was a lot of things to a lot of people during the 51 years of his life.
Teacher. Coach. Mentor. Friend.
Welsh was also a large part of the fabric at West Windsor-Plainsboro High South for 30 years before he took his own life Sunday afternoon. He left behind thousands of lives he’s touched as a coach, teacher, colleague and friend. Those lives are spread around the country and around the world.
Even with his passing, his presence will still be felt at WW-P South and the soccer community. Those of us who had the privilege of covering his soccer teams knew Brian Welsh as a straight shooter. But in 23 seasons of covering the Pirates, he never uttered a negative word about any of his players or his opponents.
Welsh didn’t always take losing well, what coach does? But he always looked at the soccer field as an extension of the classroom, where every game and practice could be used as a learning experience. He would often be asked how much longer he thought he would coach, and the answer was always the same. As long he was teaching, he planned to coach because it was another opportunity to help mold young people.
Brian Welsh wasn’t just about soccer or his own program. Inevitably, whenever a phone call was placed to talk to him about his team or one of his particular players, the conversations always drifted to other topics.
What started out as soccer talk always turned to talk of education or other athletes, whether they be at WW-P South or any other school. Welsh was not a guy who simply was focused on his own program or school. He would frequently note a story he read on an athlete at another school or another sport.
Brian Welsh had a way of surprising you when he would make a comment on a story in which you thought he couldn’t possibly have any interest. But to Brian Welsh, everyone and everything was of interest in one way or another.
Welsh was an outstanding athlete in his own right. A soccer player at Steinert High School and Rider College, he carried that passion for the sport into coaching at WW-P. He seemed to have a passion for whatever he did, whether it was teaching or coaching. His students, as well as his soccer plays, always came away with something from their experience with him.
Whatever personal demons Welsh may have had that led to his decision to end his life, he never appeared to burden those around him. Maybe that is what made the news of his death so shocking. How could someone who was always so upbeat and full of life make such a decision? It’s a question we’ll likely never know the answer to.
With this soccer season set to begin, this was Welsh’s time of the year. School is starting with a whole new group of students to enlighten. The soccer season would mean a new team to mold with the goal of playing its best late in the season. And it would mean Pirate football games, where he became legendary as the Voice of the Pirates.
It will be hard to forget Brian Welsh and most probably never will. Even those of us who were never taught by him or played for him came away feeling like we’d learned something from him. Hopefully those who were touched by him during his life will always remember the positive role he played in their lives.
The Voice of the Pirates may have been silenced, but his memories will stick with us forever.