STANFIELD — Davie Salas hung up his whistle after his Stanfield Tigers beat Umatilla 26-6 on the football field on Thursday, Oct. 14.

It’s not something he said he wanted to do, but Oregon’s vaccine mandate, requiring teachers, staff and coaches to be fully vaccinated, was something he was not comfortable doing.

“I didn’t want to get the shot,” Salas said. “They had to do what they needed to. I had to do what I thought was best for me.”

Salas’ decision also forced his hand to step down as the Irrigon boys basketball coach.

“I never wanted this to be about me,” said Salas, who made his decision public on Facebook over the weekend. “But I wanted everyone to know what was going on. It was a tough decision to make. I didn’t want to do something I didn’t want to do. I have a lot of football and basketball left in me. I didn’t want to leave, but I respect that they (the schools) are in a tough place.”

The outpouring of support for Salas was touching. Former players reached out, telling him he had made a difference in their lives. Parents thanked him for the hard work he put in the programs and with their boys.

Salas said he would cherish the memories.

“I want to thank every player who ever played for me, every parent that allowed me to coach their child,” he wrote in his Facebook post. “I gave you all everything I had up until last night. I’ll take with me all the wonderful memories of nine seasons at Stanfield and six at Irrigon. Thank you for all the love and support. Forever a Tiger and a Knight.”

Lasting memories

Salas spent nine years with the Stanfield football program, the past seven as the head coach.

He finished this season with 13 players, but he was able to wring every last bit of talent from those players. The Tigers are 2-4 with two games remaining.

Dan Sharp, Brad Rodgers and a couple of others will see the program through to the end of the season.

“It has been a couple of long months,” Salas said. “My coaching staff is young. It has been a long season and I have done my best to hold us together. We have a good team ahead of us.”

When Salas took over the Tigers in 2015, he led them to the state semifinals where they lost to Kennedy 34-20. Stanfield finished the season 10-2.

“Heppner beat us handily that year (60-6), and we beat them the next year for the league title,” Salas said. “Prior to that, we beat them at our place in 2012 when I was the JV coach. We had some great games.”

In 2016, he led the Tigers to the state championship game for the first time in 59 years. They lost 53-14 to Regis and finished with an 11-2 record, which included a 14-0 win over Heppner.

Among the talent on that 2016 team were Dylan Grogan, Thyler Munkus, Noe Sanchez and Enoel Angel.

Salas had a record of 34-27 from 2015 to present.

His time with the Irrigon boys basketball teams was not as lengthy, but just as enjoyable.

“Honestly, I enjoyed them both,” he said. “They have their differences. Reminders of kids who grew up like me. I wanted to be a role model for these young men. It’s good to have a fresh start with each season, and two places that believed in me. If some day I could find myself back on a coaching staff, I would enjoy that.”

Salas replaced Mitch Thompson at Irrigon at the start of the 2016-17 season. The Knights won the Eastern Oregon League title, lost in the first round of the state playoffs to Salem Academy, and finished the season 15-9.

The following season, the Knights won the EOL title, placed sixth at the 3A state tournament and won the sportsmanship title at state. They had a 22-6 record.

“I loved it,” Salas said. “We played Umatilla for the district title and beat them (53-48).”

The following few seasons have not been as successful, but Salas’ faith in his team never wavered. In five seasons, he had a record of 47-56.

“I was able to accomplish great things with both teams,” he said. “I feel I gave them everything I had. Trying to teach those young men to navigate through life, and being held accountable.”

Salas graduated from Umatilla High School in 2001, where he played football and basketball. He said he never thought about coaching his alma mater.

“I never want to coach the kids of people I know,” he said. “I don’t like that.”

Salas has had a few players who have gone on to play in college. The latest is football player Mario Sanchez, who is playing at Linfield College.

“I’m extremely proud of him,” Salas said. “Hopefully he will take the lessons I taught him and go on to be a great man, husband and father.”