Longtime Clinton Central High School football coach and teacher George Gilbert has passed away after being diagnosed with cancer two years ago.
Gilbert, who resigned before he was getting ready to start his 40th year coaching in 2022, had an overall record of 230-196, including a mark of 121-101 in his years at Central. Gilbert had several other stops in his coaching career, including the 2013 team at Tri-Central, which won the Class 1A state championship by defeating Eastern Hancock 20-10 in the title game. In that state tournament run, Tri-Central defeated Clinton Central, Sheridan and Clinton Prairie in the sectional and defeated South Adams in the regional and Winamac in the SemiState.
In 2014, Tri-Central defeated Sheridan for the sectional title before falling to South Adams in the regional.
In his nine years at Tri-Central, Gilbert developed Tri-Central into a respected football program with winning season in five out of the seasons after going 0-10 during this first year in 2009,
He is a member of the Indiana High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame. Coach Gilbert also won numerous teaching award over the years as a social science teacher.
Gilbert also taught history at Clinton Central.
Coach Gilbert, who coached both in Ohio and Indiana, grew up in Rensselaer, Indiana and graduated in 1973. He went on to play college football at both St. Joseph College and Manchester College where he earned his undergraduate degree. He then attended Indiana University earning a Masters in Secondary Education.