Legendary Borah football coach died Friday. ‘He was strong up until the very end.’
The architect of one of Idaho’s greatest high school football dynasties died Friday.
De Pankratz, who led Borah to 10 state championships, passed away after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease at 11:45 a.m. Friday, his wife, Pam Pankratz, told the Idaho Statesman.
He was 90. He is survived by his wife of 44 years and three daughters.
“He was strong up until the very end,” Pam Pankratz said in a phone interview. “He still had a very strong grip, and he knew who we were. I can’t ask for more than that.”
Pankratz led Borah’s football program from 1967 to 1986, continuing the Lions’ run as Idaho’s most dominant program of the era. He posted a 186-36 (.838) record and won five straight titles from 1967 to 1971, back-to-back titles in ‘75-76 and ‘78-’79, and another in ‘81.
The 1981 championship was Borah’s last football state title. His 10 state football titles are believed to be the most in Idaho history, tied with Tom Harrison.
Pankratz first joined Ed Troxel’s staff at Borah as an assistant coach, and he had no trouble living up to and exceeding the expectations set by another one of Idaho’s coaching legends.
Darren Corpus said Pankratz took the Lions to another level by challenging his team to play the best out-of-state opponents they could find. Borah won 34 straight games between 1967 and 1971 under Pankratz.
“They had an unbelievable run,” said Corpus, who played for Pankratz from 1977 to 1979. “They were in it to win every single year.”
Known as a tough, hard-nosed coach, Corpus said Pankratz always got the most out of his players. But Pam Pankratz said he had a softer side, too. She remembers troubled players spending the night at their house and all the shoes and clothes he gave away to anyone who needed them.
“He really did smile more than he was gruff looking,” Pam Pankratz said. “People think of him as this rough, tough, gruff guy. He was tough. But he was very tenderhearted when it came to certain things — his family, his pets and his football team.”
Pam Pankratz said he continued to charm her, and his nurses, up until the end. His death was not related to the coronavirus.
“A week ago he was singing to us and calling me his, ‘Hubba, hubba girl,’ ” she said. “He was real cute and had all the nurses laughing.”
Born in Seattle, Pankratz spent his teenage years in Coos Bay, Oregon. His mother didn’t want him to play football. But he convinced her and won that contest. He won nearly everything he set his mind to, whether it was football, chess or cards, Pam Pankratz said.
He joined the football team at Boise Junior College for two years before transferring to Idaho State. He helped lead the Bengals to a perfect season and Rocky Mountain Conference championship in 1957. Then the two-way star was named a team captain and All-American as a senior.
Idaho State inducted him into its hall of fame in 2014, and Borah added him to its hall of fame in 2016.
He loved to fish and spend time in the mountains with his dogs. His favorite fishing spots were around Stanley.
Current Borah football coach Jason Burton said Pankratz would still swing by practices in recent years to check on the team. Burton took time to talk with him.
“You could tell why he was so successful,” Burton said. “He cared about football. He still wanted to talk about fundamentals and how the linemen stepped in.”
Pam Pankratz said their family lived and breathed for Borah High. Pankratz never had any sons, so he adopted those on the football team as his own.
She remembered a man approaching them years ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She had no idea who he was. But Pankratz immediately rattled off his name, jersey number and the years he played at Borah.
His message resonated with players, and Pam Pankratz said she can still hear it.
“You can’t just be physically tough. You’ve got to be mentally tough, too,” she said. “You’ve got to be mentally prepared to take the field. You’ve got to be mentally prepared to stand up for what you say. You’ve got to be mentally prepared to take on the challenges that lie ahead.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 9:32 PM.
