Harold Holcomb fulfilled his destiny and left a legacy with Garber tennis

ESSEXVILLE, MI – Harold Holcomb’s name is on the courts. But his essence has permeated everything about Essexville Garber tennis for more than 50 years. That’s a legacy that lingered after Holcomb retired in 2000, and it’s likely to hold strong after his death on Sunday at the age of 81. After all, he was the kind of coach who left a long-lasting impression. “What I’m most proud of is that the kids I’ve coached want to stay in touch,” he said for a 2000 story in The Bay City Times. “I was just their coach, but we ran our team like a family. “When I see a former player, we don’t shake hands, we hug,” he reiterated in 2005. “And that’s because we know we’ve been through so much together.” Holcomb died at Charter Senior Living Center in Bay City after several years of declining health, according to his obituary. He is survived by wife Rene and children Matthew and Michelle Holcomb and Christa and Jon Schubert. He also leaves behind three decades of players who came through the Garber boys and girls tennis programs. Holcomb built the programs from the ground up, turning them into local powers and a statewide presence. He coached the boys from 1972-2000, leading the Dukes to the state tournament 25 times in 29 years while posting a 221-94 record. He launched the girls program in 1977 and directed it through 1996, going 146-59 with 10 state finals appearances. All of this from a coach who didn’t know how to keep score when he took the helm. A Fremont native and Central Michigan University graduate, Holcomb came to Garber as a teacher in 1967 and served as an assistant coach for football, basketball and track. When he was offered a chance to direct his own program, it came in an unfamiliar sport. “I fell in love with a game that I had never played,” he said in 2005. “This game taught me so much, and soon I learned that it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. As a young person, I didn’t believe that. But I came to realize, how you play the game is how it prepares you for life. “It was my destiny to coach this sport.” He instituted his Three C’s creed of commitment, consistency and cooperation – as he would in any sport – and the Dukes began to thrive. Unlike many tennis coaches, he put conditioning high on the list and his teams were routinely seen running through the Essexville neighborhoods after practice. As such, Coach Hoke was sometimes viewed as a taskmaster. But the goofball part of his persona – and his wondrous gift for gab – wouldn’t allow him to be the bad guy to the players who he impacted. “It’s hard to explain. He was tough, but in a humorous way,” said his Garber tennis successor Nancy Brissette, in a 2002 story when the facility was christened Harold Holcomb Courts. “He did have expectations of the kids. He had physical and mental expectations and he pushed them to achieve them. But at the same time, he used humor to motivate. “And the kids had a ball with him.” Motivation was Coach Hoke’s specialty. He not only had his players ready for action each and every contest, but he had a knack for picking them up during 30-second chats when they needed a boost during the match. “He’d always break the tension and make you feel better – then he’d tell you to start working the backhand,” 1987 grad Jon LaPorte said in a 2005 story. “He’d always say ‘Hit a nickel shot in a nickel-shot situation. You don’t always have to go for the dollar shot.’ “He was a fantastic motivator. He really cared for you and wanted you to win.” Holcomb led the Dukes to seven regional championships in boys tennis and three in girls tennis. The three-time Michigan Coach of the Year was inducted into the Michigan High School Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Bay County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. “Every year, I watched his team develop from raw talent and peak at regional time,” said Joe Todey, the former athletic director at Garber, in a 2005 story. “It’s a skill you don’t see in all coaches, but when his teams needed to be, they were at their best.” Holcomb retired in 2000 after 34 years as a physical education teacher for Essexville-Hampton Public Schools. He went on teach computer classes at Delta College and Saginaw Valley State University and offered private tennis lessons. Following his request, no funeral service is planned. But Coach Hoke will likely be remembered and memorialized each time the Garber Dukes step onto Harold Holcomb Courts. If you would like your local high school sports news delivered free to your inbox daily, click here and sign up for one of our local high school sports newsletters. Love reading about local sports? Don’t miss any of the excitement from the season ahead. Purchase your subscription now and get full access to every story on MLive!