TRAVERSE CITY -- The only coach in Bay Reps history resigned on Thursday.
Rex Luxton, who has guided the Reps for the first eight years of the program's existence, notified his players in a letter on Friday that he was stepping down as head coach.
"This all happened kind of suddenly," Luxton told the Record-Eagle. "Two weeks ago, I had no idea this was going to happen."
A Michigan Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, Luxton won three state titles in 27 years behind the bench.
"I'll miss the camaraderie of being around the kids and watching them develop," Luxton said. "It's interesting seeing skinny freshmen come in and mature and leave as men. It was a tough decision."
Luxton said losing all three assistant coaches was a factor.
Cody Inglis moved to Traverse City Central as the school's athletic director; likewise, Mike Polomsky recently got the job as Kingsley's athletic director. Doug Burns let Luxton know a few weeks ago he was resigning to help his wife provide care for her ailing father.
"It's sad for me personally to see Rex go because I have such respect for the man," Inglis said. "But I'm glad he was able to go out on his own terms. When I think of the Reps, I think of Rex.
"We were literally looking for a coach in the want ads and ended up with a Hall of Fame coach. He gave us legitimacy right away. In a sport where you're a power or you're not, he put us at the top."
Luxton also said his time to adequately coach the team could be compromised by the health of three family members who are battling cancer.
"That dealt heavily with it also, because you never know how much time you'd miss during the season," Luxton said.
A football coach by trade, Luxton was asked to coach the St. Clair Shores Lakeview hockey team to add discipline. He had never coached hockey before.
He went on to lead the Huskies to the first-ever official state title with a perfect 31-0 mark in 1975, a state runner-up finish the following year and another championship in 1978. The team also won the Mayor's Cup in 1974, the state's unofficial state title at the time.
After retiring in the area, the Bay Reps co-op started up.
"The job Rex did for us, I can't say enough," said Traverse City St. Francis athletic director Tom Hardy. "Rex answered an ad for a volunteer coach and we got so much. We've been blessed to have a guy like that. We hope to keep Rex involved in some capacity."
In the Reps' second season, Luxton led the team to a 26-1-1 record. He recorded his 100th win with the Reps last season.
"He's a builder of young men," said Reps booster club president Rick Videan. "He's an incredibly devoted individual, has a heart the size of Texas and loves each of those kids. The life lessons he's shared with those kids, they'll have forever."
Hardy said he will form a panel that includes the athletic directors of each school in the co-op to begin a search to replace Luxton.
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