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This Miller�s time is free About the time the sun comes up, Jay Miller heads off to work in his job as a contractor. He makes a decent living, but you can bet his budget has been a little tight through the years as he and his wife, Lynn, raised six sons and one daughter. All of the boys are out of the house now, but Miller, 48, hasn�t had much time to sit back in his easy chair and relax. At 2:30 p.m. each weekday, Miller heads off to Illinois Valley High to coach the school�s wrestling team. On Saturday, he guided that team to second place in the Skyline Conference district tournament at Hidden Valley High in Murphy. It�s not so unusual these days for a school to hire an off-campus coach. Low pay, high stress, never-ending criticism from parents and the ever-increasing time required to keep sports teams competitive have made coaching less appealing for many teachers. But what makes Miller�s efforts so admirable is that he and Illinois Valley assistant coach Collin Wilson aren�t being paid a dime to coach. Wrestling has been a club sport at Illinois Valley for 15 years, says Miller, meaning that the school supplies little more than the gymnasium to practice in and a few dollars for transportation. Miller and Wilson not only donate their time, they�re also involved in fund-raising projects so the wrestlers don�t have to buy their own uniforms, headgear and that sort of thing. "I�m doing it for the love of the kids and the love of the sport," says Miller, himself a former Illinois Valley wrestler who has been the head coach for eight years and was an assistant for 14 years before that. "It�s all about teaching these kids how to wrestle and, hopefully, give them some pride and self-esteem that will help them down the road." Miller, who walks around with a cell phone attached to his bluejeans, is a benevolent, compassionate man. But the wrestlers know he can wield an iron fist if they stray from his set of rules: Come to practice, practice hard, treat others with respect and keep your nose clean. "Wrestling is an emotional sport and sometimes it�s tough to keep your mouth shut when you get beat," says Miller, who will not tolerate foul language. "But there�s no sense in making a fool of yourself and giving your school a bad name. "It�s like I tell the kids, �That�s one reason you have a brain, to keep yourself under control.�" While Miller and Wilson selflessly lend their time to coach and coordinate the high school program, it�s hardly a two-man show. Marty Miller, one of Jay�s five brothers, heads a successful youth program that numbers about 30. Cari Miller, one of Jay�s seven sisters-in-law � that�s right, there were 13 kids in the older Miller family � sets up a food booth at the Josephine County Fair each summer. With the high school wrestlers flipping burgers, dipping hotdogs and stirring the chili, the booth brings in about $4,000 each August, money that is split between the youth and school programs. The wrestlers also put on car washes, cut firewood and participate in other fund-raising projects during the year. "It would be nice if everything were paid for, but these kids are learning some life lessons here," Miller says. "They�re learning that if you want something bad enough, if you�re willing to work for it, that it can happen." This would be a heartwarming story and a worthwhile venture for the wrestlers if they never won a match. But that is hardly the case. The Cougars posted a 7-1 dual-meet record this season. Their only loss was a 39-29 decision to Phoenix last week, a match that was closer than the final score indicated. "We almost had their 215-pound kid pinned, and if that happens, we win the match by two points," Miller says. "I think we threw a little scare into (Phoenix coach Harry) Mondale." The Cougars, who are ranked ninth in the latest Class 3A state poll, didn�t have enough depth to beat Phoenix at the Skyline district tournament Saturday. But they kept the pressure on there, too, and hope to make a good showing at the state tournament this week in Portland. "Our goal from the start was to finish in the top 10," says Wilson, 31, a math teacher at Illinois Valley High. "There are some good teams out there, but if we wrestle to our potential I think we could move into the top six." The top four teams come home with a trophy. "That would be frosting on the cake," Wilson says, "and we�re not ruling it out." Four Cougars � Matt Britt (125 pounds), Eddie Middleton (130), Jesse Camp (140) and Ryan Emery (171) � are expected to challenge for individual state titles. Britt is a nephew of Miller�s, as is 145-pound Ryan Miller and 135-pound Mike Pagnotta, the Cougars� standout freshman. "There�s a whole bunch more nephews coming up," Miller says with a grin. "I don�t think I�ll be stepping aside anytime soon." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.