Farmington basketball coach honored by students, community

Farmington basketball coach honored by students, community

(Dick Close)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

FARMINGTON — In honor of longtime basketball coach Vance Downs, the Farmington Jr. High basketball court will be refinished and named after him.

Downs is retiring after a more than 30-year career at the junior high, and one of his former students set up a GoFundMe account* for the court makeover.

Creston Inderrieden, who attended and played basketball at Farmington Junior High in the 1990s, set up the account with a goal of raising $20,000. The goal was reached Tuesday.

Inderrieden said Downs focused on developing character more than he did on winning, and he doesn't think he ever saw him really lose his temper.

The former student has lived outside Utah for more than 13 years, and he makes a point to visit Downs each time he visits if school is in session.

Downs gave Inderrieden a sense of encouragement and a sense that he could do whatever he set his mind to, he said.

Inderrieden, who flew into Utah from Texas, was part of the committee who planned the ceremony honoring Downs Tuesday afternoon.

"...I think tonight's going to be a really neat reflection on the character of a man who's lived a life very, very well, that people want to kind of pay respect to," Inderrieden said before the ceremony.

Just after the boys' basketball game, former and current students and athletes, Farmington Mayor Jim Talbot and county commissioners attended the ceremony, where the image of what the court will look like was unveiled.

(Photo: Dick Close)
(Photo: Dick Close)

Downs said Mayor Talbot gave him a plaque and deemed Tuesday Vance Downs Day in Farmington and Jay Welk, secondary district supervisor with Davis School District gave him a clock.

"...I love these kids at Farmington junior high, it means so much to me, and I'm so honored to have been a little part of their lives," Downs said. "I'm the luckiest man in the world ... thankful for the opportunity and blessing it has been for me to just be a little part of their lives."

*KSL.com does not assure that the monies deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Related links

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahUplifting
Megan Marsden Christensen

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast