Tumwater assistant Weeks retiring after 36 years. He’ll have a shot at one last state title

When Tumwater High School announced Jamie Weeks will soon retire after 36 years of teaching, coaching and administrative duties, the reaction was a flurry of praise for the long-time T-Bird line coach.

Hundreds of likes and positive comments flooded social media from current and former players, opposing coaches, reporters – anyone he’d interacted with since coming to the school in 1986.

“Jamie has such a great devotion to the program and the players,” said Sid Otton, who became Washington’s all-time winningest high school football coach with Weeks on his staff. “He loves what he’s doing and he does it in a championship way.”

Saturday’s 2A state championship game against Lynden at Sparks Stadium in Puyallup at 4 p.m. will bring the football portion of Weeks’ career to a fitting conclusion. He’s been on the coaching staff for Tumwater’s six state championships and its four runner-up finishes.

“Winning that first state title at the Kingdome (a come-from-behind 21-14 win over West Valley of Yakima in 1987) was the highlight,” Weeks said. “Enjoying that moment and all the work that went into building the program with the coaches, players and community.”

Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Weeks’ arrival in the South Sound was a random by-product of tragedy. His father was an Air Force fighter pilot. When he was killed in action in Vietnam in 1974, the family’s best option was to move to his grandmother’s ranch near Chehalis.

Graduating from Centralia High with football on his mind, Weeks attended Western Washington University, Centralia College and Central Washington, where he played a single season and met current Tumwater coach Bill Beattie. He began teaching and coaching in Centralia in 1984.

“I wanted to be a head football coach. That was my dream,” he said. “I went to the superintendent. He said he’d never hire me, that I was too young. He wanted a guy in his 40s to be the head coach.”

Not long after, in 1986, Weeks took note of an opening for a teacher and assistant coach at nearby Tumwater.

When Otton stayed in place for decades and veteran Tumwater alum Beattie was available to slide over from Olympia when Otton retired after the 2016 season, Weeks would have had to go elsewhere to become a head coach.

He decided not to, embracing a larger-than-usual role as the T-Birds’ offensive line coach.

“I fell in love with the school and the community. Coach Otton mentored me. I found my niche in more of a support role,” Weeks said. “I love the football program. It fits my style perfectly.”

Otton credits Weeks for developing strong players within a unit that lacks glamor.

“The offensive line is the motor of the offense, but the only time they get noticed when you watch the big teams on TV is when someone gets caught holding,” Otton said. “It’s a tough position to motivate. You also have to teach them what to look for from different defensive schemes. There’s a lot of technique.”

Weeks proved he could be the head coach of successful programs when he guided Tumwater’s baseball teams to top three finishes at 2A state during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

“Those were the two highest finishes in school history,” he remembered. “We had a good round of kids come through those years.”

Yet, he made a significant impact in football even if he never carried the biggest whistle.

“Most importantly, Jamie was here when they switched the offense from the twin veer to the wing-T,” said Beattie, who played for Otton’s earliest teams, yet to adopt the school’s signature scheme. “Coach Otton deserves all the recognition he gets for the transformation, but Jamie was the one who made sure the line knew all the wing-T concepts. It’s so ingrained with him.”

Prior to Weeks’ second season, one that would end with that first state title, Otton and offensive coordinator Randy Reynolds decided to leave the twin veer behind.

“Sid and Randy did most of the research into the wing-T,” said Weeks. “I remember going up to Bellevue to talk to their coaches, watch their camps and learn their drills. We sat down and had a lot of meetings to tailor the wing-T to fit our program.”

The next year, Rob Hinkle joined the staff as ‘C’ team coach and eventually added some passing wrinkles to Tumwater’s version of the wing-T. Since late in Otton’s tenure, Hinkle has called the T-Birds’ passing plays, Weeks the running plays.

Otton also pointed to Weeks’ efforts to build camaraderie and rapport among the players. He remembered Weeks dressing up as George of the Jungle for a skit during one of Tumwater’s “unity camps.” Weeks remembers another time when the coaching staff each took on the personas of WWE wrestlers.

“The biggest thing for me is the relationships a coach has with players,” he said. “I became a coach to help mentor young boys into becoming men. It’s very satisfying to see former players having families and being successful in the community.”

A win Saturday would no doubt be an epic punchline for Weeks, who cherished the T-Birds’ first championship but found a different kind of payoff from the most recent title, in 2019, when Tumwater beat a loaded Steilacoom squad, 48-34.

“That was exhilarating. I’m trying to think of a better word, but it was awesome for so many of us to stay on with Bill after Sid retired and win. It was huge,” he said.

Tumwater athletic director Tim Graham values Weeks’ contributions across the several roles he’s played.

“His legacy and loyalty to Tumwater High School has been consistent,” he said. “He’s been amazing for the students and athletes to have as a mentor, coach and teacher. He’s a quality individual all the way.”