By Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PROCTORVILLE — They say records are made to be broken.

Hey, got another broken record over here.

Fairland Dragons’ boys’ basketball coach Nathan Speed broke one of the school’s most hallowed records as he surpassed the win total of legendary coach Carl York.

“Going to school there means a lot to me and I’ve always coached there. When I went to school there and started teaching, the teachers and administration were always good to me and were patient with me, especially when I was younger,” said Speed.

“If I wasn’t successful, it would have been my fault. I feel like, in a small way, I can give back to all the great teachers I had when I was there, and all the players. That’s the biggest part. All the players and coaches we’ve had, too. Those guys don’t get enough recognition for what they’ve done for the program and the school.”

The Dragons got past the South Point Pointers 50-46 in overtime on Thursday to give Speed the record-breaking win. Speed is now 322-108 overall while York was 321-138 with seven Ohio Valley Conference titles, six sectionals, two district and one regional and a state tournament appearance.

Speed has won eight OVC championships, posted 4 20-win seasons, and guided the team to the state tournament.

His best record was 25-2 in 2017. His other 20-win seasons were 2018, 2020 and 2021. He won 19 games in 2016 and 2019.

His teams won 49 straight OVC games from 2016-2019 which included 7 straight OVC titles. During that stretch, the Dragons posted a 92-6 record overall.

Speed played for Fairland from the 1989-90 season until 1992-93. He began coaching at the age of 20 as an assistant to Joey Thacker.

He coached the girls from 2001-04 with a 62-20 record, an OVC title and one sectional. His record with the boys is currently 260-99.

He coached the junior high and junior varsity before taking over as the boys head coach.

During that time, Speed has seen quite an evolution in the game and the effect technology has had on the coaches and players.

“You have to be able to adapt because kids do change and they change quicker. Just think back to the way they process information,” said Speed. “When you think back to when we started, we would have to drive to Chillicothe or Columbus to get a film.

“Now there’s Hudl and all this is on the internet. Now you’re just watching clips of actions. The way kids process things is way different now. It’s good. Kids are smarter. You have to change with that and you’ve got to put your kids in the best position to be successful. You can’t run the same things every year. You’ve got to change what you do.”

Speed always loved basketball growing up, so it was a natural choice to coach.

“I always loved basketball and loved playing. I thought what am I going to do? I got into education. My parents were teachers, grandparents, great-grandparents, and I thought this is what I want to do,” said Speed.

A part-time job made the decision for him when he took a job with UPS during the Christmas season.

“I’d go in at two in the morning and load the truck and go with the driver from seven in the morning to like four or five in the afternoon, sleep for a couple of hours and do it again. And then I realized, yeah, I need to stay in school and be a teacher,” said Speed.

Athletic director Jeff Gorby said it has been a pleasure and an honor to have Speed as the coach over his 15-year tenure.

“He has not only continued to build the culture of Fairland basketball, but he has developed boys into young men with his leadership and caring personality over those years,” said Gorby.

“Nathan has embraced that (hot) seat and been highly successful. We look forward to celebrating wins 350 and 400 in the near future.”