Guthrie High School won’t be the same anymore.
The classrooms, the fieldhouse and the track will all feel different.
Longtime Hall of Fame Guthrie coach Clay Tarter died Sunday from an unexpected medical event.
He was 67-years-old.
Tarter was nothing short of legendary, but he remained humble, during his time as Guthrie’s track and field coach.
Tarter was a key piece in building the Guthrie cross country program as well as track and field programs. He coached nine state championships, the most of any coach, and coached four individuals to state championships in more than 40 years of coaching.
Three of Tarter’s teams won academic state championships during his tenure.
“The Bluejays lost a great one tonight. Along with many, I’m in complete shock,” Guthrie Superintendent Dr. Mike Simpson said in a statement. “Clay and I had become good friends through the time we spent together in the Lions Club. He was always downplaying his personal accomplishments while touting the achievements of our student-athletes. In his 44 years of coaching, he never quit serving students.
“Multiple times, he even found his way back into the classroom after his ‘official’ retirement following the 2009 school year while remaining a fixture at the track.”
While he wasn’t one to tout his personal accolades, the awards were aplenty for Tarter. He was inducted into the Guthrie High School Hall of Fame in 1994, and in 2010 was named Oklahoma Coaches Association Cross Country Coach of the Year for leading the Blue Jays to an undefeated season and state championship. In 2010 he was also inducted into the Oklahoma Track Coaches Hall of Fame.
In 2012, he was named the recipient of the National Federation of State High School Associations Coach of the Year and Sectional Award honor.
His elite success with the Blue Jays led him to be named the men’s and women’s head coach for Northwestern Oklahoma State University in 2016.
The accolades didn’t stop on the track, either, they stretched to the classroom too. Tarter was named Guthrie High School Teacher of the Year three times in 1983, 2005 and 2007. Tarter earned his degree in education from the University of Central Oklahoma in 1976 and was hired at Guthrie High School in 1977.
During his tenure at GHS, Tarter coached football as well as track and field while teaching U.S. History.
Tarter is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and his daughter Linh Maria.
“One of his greatest sources of pride was coaching so many children of parents he also coached when they were in high school,” Simpson said in the statement. “The number of lives he impacted in a positive way in this community and beyond are endless. Tonight, I hurt and pray for Cheryl, the rest of the family and our student-athletes who also grieve his passing.
“Tomorrow morning, I’m sure there will be a new coach leading runners along the streets of gold!”