Few have left a lasting impact like Joe Goodman on Seymour and football across Indiana than Joe Goodman.

The former Seymour High School coach passed away at 74 on Nov. 11 after a long battle with cancer, but his legacy will be felt for generations.

Goodman was born in Sullivan in 1944 and graduated from Dugger Union High School in 1962.

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He then went to Indiana State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in education in 1966 minoring in English. In 1973, he received his master’s degree in education and administration from Ball State University.

Goodman was married to Sharon L. Goodman (née Leach) at Washington Avenue Presbyterian Church on Aug. 20, 1966.

He immediately started teaching that same fall at Maconaquah Junior High School, where he also began his coaching career, leading both the football and basketball teams.

Shortly thereafter, Goodman began coaching football, basketball, baseball and track at Maconaquah High School in the fall of 1972. Goodman became the head football coach and athletic director at MHS. That same fall, Goodman welcomed his only son, Parker Grant Goodman, into the world Nov. 9.

In 1974, Goodman took the position of head football coach at Seymour High School, where he remained for 30 seasons.

He taught classes at SHS in health, advanced health, anatomy, physical education and weight training and held various titles in administration all while pursuing a doctorate degree in education at Butler University.

Over his career, Goodman had a coaching record of 202-133, including a Hoosier Hills Conference record of 38-11.

In his final six years of coaching, from 1998 to 2003, the Owls had a record of 53-17, and in his last 16 years of coaching, his teams went 119-54. He led teams to six sectionals, two regionals and one semistate. In 1991, the Owls finished runners-up in the state finals.

Goodman coached 65 All-State players, 16 Indiana All-Stars, 54 Academic All-State players and 209 All-Conference players.

He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

He was the Indiana Football Coaches Association president in 1982 and served as assistant secretary in charge of awards for more than 20 years.

Goodman was a co-chairman of the IFCA All-State selection committee and chairman of the Mr. Football selection committee.

He was the head coach of the IFCA All-Star Game in 1998 and was an assistant three other times.

This past summer, the IFCA named an award after Goodman, which is given to an Indiana All-Star player who exemplifies the most leadership and spirit on and off the field each year, titled the Joe Goodman Award for Mental Attitude and Toughness.

Goodman served on the National Federation of Football Rules Committee from 1982 to 1987 and was the Midwest National High School Football chairman from 1981 to 1987.

Last winter, Goodman was one of the inaugural members of the Seymour High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

In July 2018, Goodman was presented the Bob Springer President’s Award by the IFCA, which honors individuals who have been dedicated to contributing to the success of football in the state of Indiana.

This past September, Goodman was honored during Cancer Awareness Night at a Seymour football game, where he received an Owl Service Award for his outstanding and lasting dedication to the teaching and coaching of students and athletes of Seymour Community Schools.

Goodman was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Seymour, where he was a deacon, an avid member of the choir and a member of the Friendship Class. He often taught Sunday school lessons. He also was a member and chairman of many boards and committees, including the trustees board at First Baptist.

Goodman left a lasting impact on individuals inside and outside the community.

Here are some of the things those who knew Joe said:

“At the end of the day, you look at the bottom of the ledger and hope you made a difference. Joe has done that. There’s not a yardstick long enough to measure the people who Joe has met and influenced in a positive manner in his life.” Mike Jordan

“He was actually my seventh-grade basketball coach. He moved up with me all along and became head football coach my junior year, so I played my final two years for him. He offered me a job down here and have been here since 1979. There have really been two men in my life that have made a difference — my dad and Joe. I enjoyed playing for him so much that by the time I was in eighth grade, I knew I was going to be a coach. That is where all of this came for for me. The way he talked, coached and got involved in things, it was more than Xs and Os. It was more than just developing football players. I used to get myself in trouble when I said that my main job wasn’t to win football games but to develop young men that are active in their communities and are great fathers. All of that came from Joe. I haven’t known any other way. I was extremely fortunate to meet him 50 years ago and spend 50 years with someone that I totally respected and cared about. I will cherish our friendship. Hopefully, we will live up to the expectation that Joe had.” Jeff Richey

“I got to know Joe around 35 years ago when he took his teams to camp. He was always willing to share information. One of the things that Joe did his entire career, besides all of the things he did for the IFCA, he did behind the scenes. I’ve had several coaches reach out to me and talk about how he was always willing to mentor and share ideas. It didn’t matter what it was, his attention to detail was second to none. The guy was just organized in every aspect of his life. If he sat down and shared something with you, you were going to listen to the whole thing. He brought levity to all situations. We get so busy and wrapped up in our coaching that I think sometimes, we forget that a big part of our job is making young men better young men. I think he really believed that was part of what he did. He helped them to grow up. We’re all going to miss him. Joe would just always go with me to all of the coaches association meetings. It is going to be tough not having him there. We are going to make sure his legacy lives on in our association.” Bob Gaddis, IFCA executive director

“He had a deep love and commitment to making Seymour great. His motivation was to do everything and anything he could for our community. He loved Seymour, and that’s evident with anyone you talk to. He embodies a selfless service. He spent countless hours not only at Seymour but at the state level, as well. He did anything he could to make football great in Indiana. He left an expectation to be great. He had high standards and expected a high level of commitment. He’ll be truly missed. I will miss having talks with him, sitting down and learning from his wisdom.” Seymour football coach Mike Kelly

“Joe was very active in the Indiana Football Coaches Association. When I came to the association in 2000, one of my sport assignments was football. I met Joe at that time, and we worked together. We met with the coaches association with initiatives they brought forward to changes to our tournament and the sport of football. He was also benevolent on volunteering every year at our state championships. Joe helped us with the presentation of awards at our championships. I got to know Joe well over the years. We’re really going to miss him. He was a founding father of the IFCA. He was vitally important to the association and provided great guidance and leadership and vision for what has been one of the best coaches associations in our state. I don’t think that happens without Joe’s leadership and determination to do things the right way. I will remember him as a great friend and a true champion of student-athletes. He was a great guy and coach. He understood the bigger picture. He knew that football was important, but school was more important. His investment in young people and how he treated his kids is how I will remember him most.” Bobby Cox, IHSAA commissioner

“I was an assistant coach under Joe for 23 years. Coach Goodman was the face of a very successful football program for all the years he coached. The program was respected around the state, certainly because of the wins on the field, but also because of Joe’s leadership in the conference and in the Indiana Football Coaches Association. It didn’t matter what part of the state we were in, coaches all over knew Joe by his first name and he knew them. On the field, he’ll be remembered as a winner due to an elementary program he built that brought talent to the varsity level year after year and due to team and staff organization and game preparation. On a personal level, off the field, he and Sharon and Grant became like members of our family. We traveled together, supported each other’s kids, were there when people needed support and were there for weddings, graduations, births. That was the way it was with most all the coaches’ families. Joe will be remembered by those that knew him closely as someone who knew what he wanted to do, and that was to coach football at Seymour and make the Owls a powerful and successful program, and he did it with great passion day after day. More importantly, he’ll be remembered as a friend and role model to several hundred men and women who were the beneficiaries of his teaching on the football field and in the classroom. Current and future athletes need to remember Joe as the one responsible for making Seymour football well-known around the state.” Chris Rose

“Coach Goodman was definitely one of the most influential people in my life. I met him on the sidelines of the Jeffersonville High School football field when I was in eighth grade. I remember that moment to this day. He was my first high school teacher in the summer of 1975 when I took his health class. He was also my PE teacher. I played football for him for four years in high school. When I came back to SHS in 1984 to teach, he was the dean of students. I coached junior high football for four years, freshman football for two years, then I was one of his varsity assistant coaches for 10 years. I have many memorable times with coach Goodman on the practice/game field, bus rides to games as a player and as a coach and in his backyard relaxing and joking around with the other coaches. Coach Goodman was one of the most organized people I’ll ever meet. There was a time and place for everything and everything in its place. He paid close attention to details. He was also the type of person who would listen to you and give you advice when you had problems. I remember sitting in his living room as he helped me through several of my life-changing events. So many of the things he used to say still race through my mind from time to time. Sometimes, I laugh, and sometimes, I cry. He gave me a couple of framed documents on leadership that I have hanging in my office. One of my favorite quotes of his is ‘The right thing is not always the easiest thing to do, but it is always the right thing.’ He was always so good to me and loved his players and his coaches. He taught us to be men. We were family. Coach Goodman was known and respected throughout the state of Indiana. He put Seymour football on the map. After coaching clinics and rules meetings, we would always end up at Dairy Queen. Coach would always buy. He taught me how to be a better teacher and a better coach. I hope that all of our current coaches and teachers truly understand the influence they have on young men and women and the opportunity they have every day to mold the leaders of tomorrow. I have been so lucky to work with some of my coaches and those who coached when I was in high school. Coach Goodman, coach Fee, coach Beck, coach Britton, coach Bowman, coach Sullivan, coach Lewis, coach Chastain, coach Reynolds, coach Cooper, coach Silver, coach Ault. There is no level of thanks that can truly be given to these and other coach/educators and their families for the commitment and dedication these individuals gave to me, my classmates and my school. Coach Goodman and coach Beck are the reason I got into education and came back to SHS. That’s the type of influence a coach can have on a young man.” Greg Prange, Seymour High School principal

“I first met coach Goodman at a coaching clinic in the late ‘90s, and he encouraged me to come to Seymour when there was a science and assistant football coaching position open. I coached with him through his retirement, and we remained close until his passing. Coach Goodman and his wife, Sharon, took me in from the moment I moved to Seymour and treated me like family. He will be remembered as a guy who loved the game of football, especially all the players who played for him and the coaches who coached with him. Long after his retirement, he remained active in the Indiana Football Coaches Association and kept in contact with many of his coaching peers. He loved to tell stories about his former players and remembered them with great detail. He was a legendary storyteller. He took a lot of pride in the school and in the community. He was always visible at community and school events. He never knew a stranger and always made who he was talking to feel like the most important person in the room. He also had a lot of witty and goofy sayings that we refer to as Goodmanisms. He laid the foundation for the strength and conditioning program at Seymour High School, and he made Seymour football a recognizable name brand around the state. You’d be surprised how many people, after I tell them I live in Seymour, ask me about coach Goodman. He did things the right way, didn’t take any shortcuts because he understood that good old-fashioned hard work is the best way to get results. It should not be forgotten that coach Goodman and Sharon both served as teachers for Seymour Community Schools and coach was the dean of boys at Seymour High School for a stint.” Brandon Harpe, Seymour assistant to the superintendent

“I met Joe Goodman for the first time the week before the start of the 1976 high school football season. He was introduced as the head coach of the Seymour High School football team. By the very next week, as we did the second of more than 300 editions of ‘The Joe Goodman Show,’ he was no longer the coach, but instead was my good friend Joe Goodman, and he remained that for more than 40 years. You see, Joe didn’t have acquaintances or coworkers. He had friends — good friends. I never met anyone that worked harder to help gain honors and recognition for those around him, and when those honors came for assistant coaches, players, managers and even media members (and there were plenty of them), I believe he took greater joy in that than in any awards he received. Joe Goodman was just a people person, and that’s one of the reasons we loved him so much.” Bud Shippee, 92.7 Nash Icon

“I coached middle school football for many years under the direction of coach Goodman and coach (Jeff) Richey. My favorite memory of coach Goodman is the time he called me into his office during a freshman game. He then said, ‘You’re doing a good job out there. The kids get in a good stance. They get fire off the ball, and they are running our offense.’ At first, I did not know what to think, as I just thought that was what we were supposed to do. But in retrospect, it means a lot to me.” Timothy Freshour

“Mr. Goodman was my PE teacher my freshman year. The next three years of high school, I was his teacher’s aide, giving up my study hall to help him. He trusted me with lots of different duties, from taking attendance to putting the grades in the grade book to even driving his old car from the gym to the football stadium. He was not my coach, but he made a big impact on me those years, as he was doing more than just teaching PE. He was helping us grow up to be useful young adults. To me, he was a no frills kind of guy and would just tell it like it was to the freshman kids. He was always giving us kids advice for life. Our joke between us was about who I should marry when that time would come. He said I should definitely marry for money. I did not take his advice, but deep down, I think he knew I would not because he would usually wink when he would tell me this piece of advice. He was more than just a football coach. He was an all-around great guy.” Julie Mellencamp Hackman

“I never played football for coach Goodman, but rather was a student manager my freshman and sophomore years and student athletic trainer my junior and senior years. One of the biggest memories Goodman told me that stuck with me, a couple things: You’re on time if you’re 10 minutes early, and if you arrive on time, you’re late; the other thing Goodman told me and I live in my career as an EMT is ‘adapt, improvise and overcome.’ Goodman wasn’t only a teacher and leader in the classroom but also on the field, whether you played for him, was a student manager or kept stats, Goodman treated all the members of his team as his kids. He taught me love and respect, and that’s something that sticks with me and I will miss. Coach Goodman was like a second dad to many of us. He commended us for good, and we all knew when we messed up, he’d be there scolding us and there would be discipline for those actions.” Derek Hall

“I had coach Goodman at football camp when I was in fourth grade in 2000. He along with everyone else there was quite shocked that a girl wanted to play football, but he gave me chance when no one else would and told me I could come to camp, but he wanted no crying. Needless to say, during the first day of camp, he figured out real fast I was just as tough as the boys when the first guy I tackled didn’t get up. He looked at me and said, ‘This is a first for me as a coach, but I think you will be just fine around here.’” Paige Koop

”One of my favorite pregame speeches I saw him give was before we played Martinsville. He gave every player a pencil and then picked one and broke it. He picked another and broke it, and then he collected the rest of the pencils together and held them all in his hand at the same time and tried to snap all of them. He said, ‘No matter how hard I try, if you all stick together as a team, I cannot break you. With all my might, I can’t break the team.’ It was the most passionate I think I’ve ever seen coach Goodman get, but regardless, that lesson stuck with me forever. Play together as one unit. A team. Unified. Unbreakable.” Rob Mager

”Every morning to inspire his team before our warmup lap, coach would start off the day with the saying ‘Men, there’s no sense in prolonging the inevitable.’ It’s one of those life lessons that has stuck with me. If you know what has to be done, don’t prolong it. Take action and get moving in the right direction. Don’t sit around a wait or it will never happen, and before you know it, life passes you by and you’ll miss out. There are many other stories, sayings, life lessons and inspirations from an incredible human being that always put everyone else before himself. I’m both humbled and honored to have played for coach Goodman and to have been a part of his movement.” Eric Wilkes

“Coach Goodman’s father had become seriously ill, and coach was told his father would probably pass soon. He told us all early in the week of our preparation against Columbus East (2000) in the first week of sectional that he might not be there on Friday night to coach us. When Friday finally came, coach was away with his family and sitting by his father’s bedside as his dad grew weaker and eventually passed. Everyone had him and his family in our minds, and we felt his absence on the field. I don’t mean to say we lost that game because coach wasn’t there and the remaining coaching staff couldn’t coach us to victory. However, everything was different, and his presence, or lack thereof, was palpable. He’d been there at every varsity game we all played, and now for the first time, he wasn’t. We missed our coach. He meant a lot to each of us, and he stirred confidence in us when we might not have had it without him. Coach returned to the team as soon as he was able and was appropriate and was so apologetic to all of us players that he felt he let us down by not being there. None of us felt like he let us down, and in fact, I think most of us as we’ve aged have learned from his example what it means to be there for your family and keep your priorities straight. We were upset we lost, and we missed him on the field and his passion for the game, but he gave us the best example a coach could give in a very stressful time. He showed us to put family first and to always be there for your loved ones. Some of us walked off that field at Bulleit Stadium that night never to play organized football again, and some of us moved on to play at a higher level, but each of us remembers what we learned through him. He wasn’t perfect, but he sure tried to be for us, and he loved his family dearly. Like previous Seymour star running back and IU football player/graduate Michael Batts mentions in the 1991 highlight film, there was a sense of football family with coach because he cared for his players in his own unique way. Coach will be greatly missed, and he was a blessing to so many of us. My sincerest condolences to Sharon, Grant and the whole Goodman family and extended football family. He’s with his Father now.” Andy Stark