On any given fall night, Mike Marsh usually could be found somewhere between the press box and the sideline at Bishop Stadium. Not seeking the spotlight of Friday night lights, rather just making sure everything worked.

He wasn’t the one calling plays or pacing the sideline. He wasn’t searching for a camera. No matter what sport, more often than not, Marsh was checking on officials, visiting with a coach, greeting parents, making sure a detail hadn’t been missed. It was where he’d been most comfortable for decades.

After more than 25 years serving USD 383 in various roles and a lifetime tied to Manhattan High School, Marsh will retire as the school’s athletics director following the 2025-26 school year.

At the board meeting where Marsh announced his decision, MHS principal Michael Dorst adressed Marsh as “Mr. MHS.”

Marsh officially will step away July 1, closing a chapter that spans from student-athlete to administrator, from the quarterback huddle to the center of one of the state’s most consistent high school athletic programs.

“He is Manhattan High,” said MHS football coach Joe Schartz, who was coached by Marsh at Dodge City. “He has been here the majority of his life, and a lot of it’s been devoted to Manhattan High School. Whether as a student, a teacher, a coach or an administrator, he’s given a big portion of his life to this institution. He should leave here very proud of what he’s accomplished.”

Marsh has served as Manhattan High’s athletics director since April 2004. His time overseeing the program has coincided with sustained success across sports, including 22 6A state championships and numerous league titles, but his impact in the community extends far beyond plaques and trophies.

Marsh’s connection to Manhattan began long before his professional career. His family moved to town in 1971, when his father, Marvin Marsh, became principal at then-Manhattan Junior High. Mike attended Manhattan schools, graduating in 1983 after playing quarterback under legendary coach Lew Lane and leading the Indians to a 16-4 record over two seasons.

Marvin Marsh would go on to spend 24 years as principal in Manhattan before retiring in 1995, earning statewide recognition for his work in education.

In an unexpected parallel, both Marvin and Mike ultimately dedicated exactly 37 years of their lives to careers in education. Of their combined 74 years of service, 50 were spent in Manhattan and 22 in Dodge City. The remaining time included a year Marvin spent in Colorado and two semesters Mike taught in Tennessee and Alabama.

Still, Mike never anticipated that his path would mirror his father’s so closely.

“I had really no plans to follow him in his footsteps,” Mike Marsh said. “I really had no desire at that time to be in public education — I just wanted to coach.”

Finding his way back

After graduating from Manhattan High, Marsh began his college career at Tennessee Tech before transferring to Coffeyville Community College. He later graduated from the University of North Alabama and earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State.

What followed was a winding path through coaching and education, capped off by a return home that wasn’t necessarily planned.

“When I ended up graduating from the University of North Alabama, I decided to go back to school and get into education, where I had an opportunity to coach,” Marsh said. “I finished up my ed degree and sent out a bunch of resumes — by paper and pencil, typing on a typewriter back in those days.”

One of those letters landed in Dodge City, where Marsh worked under J.C. Rickenberg, a KSHSAA Hall of Fame athletics director and longtime friend of his father. Rickenberg would become a big part of Marsh’s mentorship chain that included his father, to Dick Foster at Coffeyville, and to Lane.

“Having those people be a part of my life has kind of guided me through the process,” Marsh said. “I never planned on it, in retrospect, but actually ending up at the school that my dad taught after I was born in Dodge City, and then making it back to Manhattan — it’s kind of where it ended up.”

‘Call me Mike’

Marsh returned to Manhattan in 2000 as assistant athletics director and administrative assistant, later becoming athletics director in 2004. From the start, he set a tone rooted in trust and shared responsibility.

“One of the things I always tell my coaches is, ‘Don’t call me boss; call me Mike,’” Marsh said. “It’s not out of disrespect by any means. We’re all part of a team.”

That philosophy extended to how he led.

“I’m not a micromanager,” he said. “You can ask any of my coaches — I let them go do their job. My office has to make final decisions a lot of times — not popular decisions sometimes — but for the better of everybody else.”

During his tenure, Marsh hired nearly every current Manhattan High head coach, with the exceptions of girls’ basketball coach Scott Mall and cross country coach Susan Melgares. The longevity of coaches across programs reflects his ability to identify leaders and then empower them.

This year, MHS has already taken home three 6A state titles: girls’ golf, girls’ cross country and football.

“It’s exciting for our community. It’s exciting for our kids and our coaches,” Marsh said of the school’s recent athletic success. “One of the things my father always told me is to surround yourself with smarter people than you, and I think I’ve done that.”

Building something that lasts

Beyond hiring, Marsh oversaw major facility projects, including recent improvements at Bishop Stadium and the new CiCo Park complex, while continuing to emphasize that success was collective.

“I wanted to leave the place in a better spot than it was before,” Marsh said. “Facility-wise, somebody’s going to come in here with a gold mine — lots of good coaches, a great school and a great community.”

That “gold mine,” he said, was built by many hands.

“It really starts with my secretary, Theresa Wilson,” Marsh said. “Then my head coaches, assistant coaches, the kids, the community, all the parent volunteers and our Booster Club. My office literally could not run the way it does without all the parent volunteers.”

The decision to retire, Marsh said, wasn’t sudden.

“It was just basically time,” he said. “Working 60 to 80 hours a week for a long time — that starts to take its toll.”

Still, he’s not going anywhere.

“We’re going to stay here,” Marsh said. “My wife and I are going to continue to live here. We’ll be here the rest of our lives. I bleed blue.”

Away from the spotlight

When he’s not at school, a game, or practice, Marsh prefers quiet and family.

“When I have an opportunity, I love to hunt and fish,” he said. “During the pandemic, we bought some really cool kayaks, and I try to get out on the lake as often as I can.

“Having some quietness and fishing gets my mind right before I go back to work,” he continued. “Other than that, I spend as much time as I can with family and outdoors, and I love working in the yard — it’s just kind of a stress reliever for me. That’s me.”

He enjoys being just another face in the community — even if kids sometimes do a double-take when they see him in a T-shirt and shorts in the summer.

“I don’t look at myself as a boss. I don’t like the limelight,” Marsh said. “It’s all about supporting my coaches and the kids.”

Marsh and his wife, Tara, raised their son, Carson, in Manhattan after moving back when he was just 1 year old.

“It’s just a good place to live and bring up kids,” Marsh said. “When Tara and I moved here, I wanted Carson to be a part of a lot of the things that I’d been a part of in high school, getting a great understanding of what the Manhattan community is all about. I’m glad he had that opportunity.”

Carson, now 26 and soon to be married, earned his master’s degree from Fort Hays State — the same institution where Marsh completed his own graduate work.

Carson earned his degree in athletic management before moving to Kansas City, raising the possibility that one day he could follow in his father’s footsteps back to Manhattan, much like Mike once did.

“You never know — another one of us running around,” Marsh joked. “I don’t know if the community could stand it.”

For Marsh, the measure of success has always been simple.

“Just leaving this place in a better place than I came to,” he said. “To love the community and the school, my coaches and my kids — and to appreciate the people throughout the years who make this school run. It can’t be a one-man show, and it never has been. Everybody’s just part of the team.”