Area coaches remembered for their contributions

The Tri-City area is mourning the loss of two coaches this week, one who was a long-time educator and another who had just received the head baseball coaching job at Berwick High School.
Alfred “Al” Tregle, who served as head coach at all four Tri-City Area high schools during his career, passed away Monday in Morgan City at age 86, while Philip “Trey” Smith III, 31, passed away Tuesday.
Tregle, a former college football player at Tulane University and the University of Southern Mississippi, was an educator and coach at numerous Louisiana high schools — including two head-coaching stints at Berwick and Morgan City and one stint apiece at Central Catholic and Patterson. He also served as an assistant coach at Morgan City.
His son, Scott Tregle, said his dad worked hard and earned respect.
The elder Tregle was more than just a football coach, too, Scott said, noting he had been in the rental business, had a trophy shop and at one point in the 1980s he left football and entered the trucking business.
“Just on top of coaching, he was … overall just a hard-working man,” Scott said.
Tregle was a mentor, too.
Kirk Crochet, a former Tregle assistant at Morgan City High School, said he used Tregle’s coaching philosophies to carve out his own success.
“His system got him into the hall of fame, and his system got me into the hall of fame,” Crochet said, referencing the Louisiana High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Crochet, who finished his high school prep coaching career with 201 wins and faced Tregle as a head coach at Loreauville when Tregle was at Patterson and Berwick, said his mentor’s teams always were in great shape and were strong. Tregle squads played hard-nosed, disciplined football.
“They just wouldn’t get tired,” Crochet said.
Central Catholic Coach Tommy Minton faced Tregle as a head coach during his first stint at Central Catholic and also as an assistant at Beau Chene, both times while Tregle was head coach at Berwick.
“He was old school, and old school was the best school,” Minton said. “I promise you.”
Tregle also coached four years at McNeeses State University in Lake Charles. He has been honored in such halls of fame as those for the University of Southern Miss football and the Morgan City Alumni Association.
Visitation for Tregle will be held Saturday at 1 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home in Morgan City, with services to follow at 2 p.m. at the funeral home.
The Tregle family also will be establishing a scholarship fund in Al Tregle’s name at Morgan City High School. It will be given to a graduating senior. Anyone interested in making donations may contact the family at altreglescholarship@yahoo.com.
In Berwick, Smith was hired last month as the school’s baseball coach, and he had been working with the football team in his role as quarterbacks coach for the upcoming season.
“Obviously we’re all heartbroken and extremely sad,” Berwick High Athletic Director and head football coach Mike Walker said. Walker said many of the athletes knew Smith for more than just the time he was on campus recently as Smith coached them growing up in football and baseball.
“It’s a valuable member of our family that we lost, and we definitely have some heavy hearts this week,” Walker said.
Prior to coming to Berwick, Smith worked as a football and baseball assistant coach for four years at Central Catholic High School in Morgan City.
Central Catholic baseball coach Tyler Jensen said Smith fit well on his staff as a coach and a role model.
Jensen, who knew Smith growing up, said the two coaches became as close as brothers while coaching together at Central Catholic.
“I think the impressions that he’s left on people is … someone who really, really cared about our players and doing the right things and helping those guys succeed, not only in baseball but in life,” Jensen said.
Minton said that players liked being around Smith.
“Every player he ever interacted with just lit up when Trey was around him,” Minton said. “He had that touch with kids.”
Berwick Town Councilman and longtime Berwick coach Lud Henry’s son Seth played high school baseball with Smith, and the Henrys were set to be among Smith’s assistant baseball coaches this year.
Lud Henry said Trey was “just a very impressive young man,” and he said Smith worked hard.
“He was very levelheaded and always willing to learn and listen from different people, and (it’s) just a tragic loss for all of us,” Henry said. “It really is. I considered him a close friend.”
Visitation for Smith will be held Friday from 9 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Twin City Funeral Home, with a rosary being prayed at noon. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 1 p.m. Friday at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church in Morgan City, with graveside services to be held in the Morgan City Cemetery.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Smith and Tregle families as they go through these difficult times,” Walker said.