By Dr. Thomas Little
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
Perry Township has many special people who dedicate their lives to the field of education. Just last week this community lost one of those special people who truly was the model of a servant leader in our schools.
Steve Montgomery, 62, who died of cancer May 2, was proud of the township and a loyal Southport Cardinal to the end. He was a 1972 graduate of Southport, and he returned to his alma mater as a beloved teacher, a competitive coach and a tireless assistant athletic director.
It is often said that you measure the worth of a man by the number of friends that he has. If that’s true, Steve must have been a wealthy man.
I would like to share a few thoughts from some of his friends.
Mike Tomey recounts, “Steve was my hero and best friend, and he is a legend on the Southside.” Mike says you still hear people talking about Steve’s athletic abilities as a dominating running back and a hitter whose home runs defied gravity. While at Southport he frequently rushed for more than 200 yards a game. This accomplishment was even more impressive when you consider that defenses singled out this athlete and set up their plays based on one goal – to stop Steve Montgomery.
This story from Tony Ardizzone describes the fact that Steve could crush a baseball. He says that while coaching junior varsity baseball at an opposing school, the game had to be stopped three times because Steve kept hitting home runs all the way onto the JV diamond. The highlight of Steve’s high school career was being named Marion County co-Athlete of the Year.
Steve Harnedy reports that Steve is one of the top three athletes in the history of Southport. He says Steve had many offers to play at large schools but chose Indiana Central (now the University of Indianapolis), where he starred in baseball and football. He is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Steve continued his love of athletics after college by teaching and coaching. He returned to Perry Township and taught physical education and coached football and wrestling at Perry Meridian Middle School before heading to Southport to teach health and physical education.
His softball teams won many county and sectional titles. This gentlemen was loved and admired by his students and peers. Steve was recently named to the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. His wife, Judy, served as guidance secretary at Southport, and his children, Scott and Sarah, graduated from Southport. Scott coaches softball at Southport, where Steve served as his assistant.
Steve’s calling was held May 5 at Perry Stadium. We thank the Montgomery family for sharing such a phenomenal teacher and coach with the township’s students and staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve’s family and friends during this time of reflection and healing.
Superintendent of Perry Township Schools
Perry Township has many special people who dedicate their lives to the field of education. Just last week this community lost one of those special people who truly was the model of a servant leader in our schools.
Steve Montgomery, 62, who died of cancer May 2, was proud of the township and a loyal Southport Cardinal to the end. He was a 1972 graduate of Southport, and he returned to his alma mater as a beloved teacher, a competitive coach and a tireless assistant athletic director.
It is often said that you measure the worth of a man by the number of friends that he has. If that’s true, Steve must have been a wealthy man.
I would like to share a few thoughts from some of his friends.
Mike Tomey recounts, “Steve was my hero and best friend, and he is a legend on the Southside.” Mike says you still hear people talking about Steve’s athletic abilities as a dominating running back and a hitter whose home runs defied gravity. While at Southport he frequently rushed for more than 200 yards a game. This accomplishment was even more impressive when you consider that defenses singled out this athlete and set up their plays based on one goal – to stop Steve Montgomery.
This story from Tony Ardizzone describes the fact that Steve could crush a baseball. He says that while coaching junior varsity baseball at an opposing school, the game had to be stopped three times because Steve kept hitting home runs all the way onto the JV diamond. The highlight of Steve’s high school career was being named Marion County co-Athlete of the Year.
Steve Harnedy reports that Steve is one of the top three athletes in the history of Southport. He says Steve had many offers to play at large schools but chose Indiana Central (now the University of Indianapolis), where he starred in baseball and football. He is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
Steve continued his love of athletics after college by teaching and coaching. He returned to Perry Township and taught physical education and coached football and wrestling at Perry Meridian Middle School before heading to Southport to teach health and physical education.
His softball teams won many county and sectional titles. This gentlemen was loved and admired by his students and peers. Steve was recently named to the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. His wife, Judy, served as guidance secretary at Southport, and his children, Scott and Sarah, graduated from Southport. Scott coaches softball at Southport, where Steve served as his assistant.
Steve’s calling was held May 5 at Perry Stadium. We thank the Montgomery family for sharing such a phenomenal teacher and coach with the township’s students and staff. Our thoughts and prayers are with Steve’s family and friends during this time of reflection and healing.
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