Looking back from 2003 up to 2005, those three years marked the greatest time for this writer. It was a time where this 26-year-old from Canton and 2001 graduate of Canton’s McKinley Senior High School, known for their powerful sports tradition including with an augmented fan base was welcomed with open arms as an intern for a semi-pro football team eight miles from my hometown before becoming an assistant writer for a website committed to their hometown team.

In 2006, the son of Lake High School football coach Jeff Durbin received his first coaching position in the same city. And it is no secret that Luke Durbin is still employed in the hometown that has produced major names as David Canary, Jeff Timmons, Lillian Gish, and nearly the first world boxing champion from this city, Anthony Hanshaw.

Welcome to the prestigious and steel-tough city of Massillon, Ohio.

It all happened during a phone interview with a respected man by the name of Bill Shafer, a native of San Diego. From searching about a potential internship and reading about the Bengals along with contacting Mr. Shafer, it set the tone for the greatest moments of this person’s life.

From dressing in a suit, shirt, tie, and dress shoes to meetings and interacting with administration and players, it made for the smooth transition to the role as director of media relations. But that didn’t mean that it ended there. That also included interacting with former Massillon standouts, which played their prep football for the hometown team, the Tigers. And again, the line did not end there. It also involved communicating with fans of the Tigers and knowing their tradition along with the stadium that conceives popular standouts, Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.

During that time, Durbin was a freshman at Baldwin-Wallace. The author was a junior at Mount Union College. The Bengals were on their way to a division title as an expansion team, finishing the first season with an 8-5 record. Unfortunately after coming on the scene as an expansion team, the magic fizzled away after a stellar 2004 season and the team struggled to a 2-8 finish the following year.

2005 brought a 15-week season full of fun. This time, the reporter known for dressing in three-piece suits was now an assistant writer for MassillonProud.com, a site that is not only respected by residents of Massillon, but other teams and fans from various parts of Ohio.

It also involved the man that became Luke’s first employer, Tom Stacy. Using a high octane offense along with a fearless defense, the Tigers bottled up 13 wins and took #1 Cincinnati St. Xavier to the wire before falling short in a traumatic 24-17 setback at Fawcett Stadium. Even though the Tigers lost, an appreciation was gained for the players, coaches, and fans that wore the orange and black.

Two years later, the same individual is now at The Suburbanite and Durbin was hired to coach tight ends Massillon. Even though he is now coaching at Lake with his dad Jeff, he maintains his job as a physics teacher at Massillon Washington High School.
He was quick to steal a line from this writer. “Massillon has given me memories that I will always cherish.”

Luke will get a pass on this. But come July, two minds will meet each other for the first time on the field since the Tigers opened their 2007 season with a 42-21 win over Middletown. And on August, a third mind will be involved when Lake opens the season against Green. That mind happens again to be Durbin’s employer, who is now the leader of the Green Bulldogs.

Massillon has given a 26-year-old Canton native, a Hartville native, and a Findlay native memories that will always be cherished. Not before Luke is welcomed home to where his prep career began.

Welcome back to Lake High School, Luke Durbin.