Former Oak Harbor High School football coach Dave Ward was inducted into the Washington State Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Saturday, Jan. 25.

Ward, along with Rob Friese of Willapa Valley and Gordon Elliott of Auburn, was honored at a banquet in Everett during the association’s mid-winter conference.

Ward led Oak Harbor to the 4A football state championship, the only state title for the Wildcats in any sport, in 2006.

Ward coached 18 years in Oak Harbor, helping the Wildcats reach the playoffs in five of his last six seasons before stepping down in 2007.

He then took over the Archbishop Murphy program for four years, posting a 48-6 record and reaching at least the state semifinals each year.

The past two seasons he coached at Sedro-Woolley and qualified for the state playoffs last fall.

“Being inducted into the WSCA Football Hall of Fame is one of the most gratifying experiences of my life,” Ward said. “It is an honor to be mentioned with the many coaches I admire and respect. The most humbling part of the event was seeing the Oak Harbor players make the effort to be there. Knowing that our connection from long ago is still so strong and valuable is revealing. We as coaches never quite realize the lasting impression we can make on a young person’s life.”