Decades ago, a coach helped out one of his athletes by becoming his foster father, and now all of these years laters they’re in each other’s lives again.
After Earl Rich’s freshman year in high school, his foster parents decided they were no longer able to take care of him. His only option was to move in with a foster family nearby and move schools. That’s when 28-year-old teacher and bachelor at the time Mike Dreier stepped up and decided to be Rich’s foster father. Dreier fostered Rich for his remaining three years of high school sharing with Washington Post, “It seemed like the thing to do. He was a really good kid, and he was in need of some help.”
More than four decades later, Dreier still coaches various sports at New London-Spicer High School. Rich wanted to be sure his four daughters would have Dreier as a coach that he convinced him not to retire until he had a chance to mentor all four of his girls. Dreier retired from teaching in 2009, but stayed on as a coach because of Rich’s persuasion.
Rich was able to watch all of his daughters on the court simultaneously several times while Dreier coached the team through an almost-undefeated season. He shared, “That was a really special moment. That was a goal for all the sisters, and for me. To get all four of them on the court was pretty amazing.”
