Leaving his perch: Specht retires after 31-year coaching career

Sometimes a person just knows when it's time to call it a career.

After a 31-year tenure spanning the Metroplex, Allen boys basketball head coach Steve Specht has ridden into the sunset on his terms, retiring from teaching and coaching.

"It's a culmination of things," Specht said. "Basketball is my passion and I wanted to make sure that I left the profession, teaching and coaching, still feeling good about it and not burned out."

While Specht has coached the Eagles for the past four seasons, he's far from a stranger to Allen basketball. Following a four-year stint in his inaugural coaching gig at Parkhill Junior High in Richardson, Specht joined the Eagles as the junior varsity boys coach in 1985. That coaching post would last until 1990, but a change of scenery wouldn't be needed as Specht moved to coach Allen's girls basketball team until 1997, during which the Lady Eagles made the playoffs in 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Specht's success with Allen was parlayed into a boys head coaching job at Frisco. He was there until 2005, then spending one season at the helm of the McKinney North girls program and eventually returning coach the Allen boys in 2008.

"I owe Allen ISD a lot," Specht said. "Looking back on it all, this was a great experience and it's been fun watching Allen grow. When I was there, we had just turned (Class) 4A and now we're the third-largest high school in the state.

"I feel like I've seen it all there."

Also plying his craft in the classroom teaching English and Teen Leadership, Specht reached the requisite age for retirement within the state's school system -- a formula that combines age with years of service.

That option had been there for a couple years, but Specht still had matters to tend to on the court.

"One of my goals was to get things headed in the right direction and I feel like we've done that," he said. "The program is at a point where I feel it's ready to take off. We've got a lot of young guys with playoff experience coming back. It was tempting to stay, but at the same time I think it's time to spend some more time with my family and friends."

While a playoff berth once appeared a lofty goal for the Eagles, Specht helped rectify that expectation by clinching Allen's first postseason berth in over a decade in 2010.

"I credit that to our staff and these kids willing to commit to working hard," Specht said. "We had great players who all shared the same goals and it was a lot of fun. It was great to earn that respect."

The Eagles replicated that feat two seasons later, most recently making the playoffs and nearly upsetting District 7-5A champion Coppell in the bi-district round (a 43-41 overtime loss). Specht admitted in the aftermath of that game, he didn't feel the same bounce in his step entering the offseason as he previously had.

Compounded with other rigors of the job, the time to step away seemed right.

"There's more to coaching basketball than Tuesday and Friday nights," Specht said. "There's the teaching workload and all the things we're required to do there. And after 31 years of it all, I just felt like it was time to quit walking into a school building."

"Coach Specht did a great job here," added Steve Williams, Allen ISD athletic director. "We had been struggling for a couple years before he came in and he was able to get us into the playoffs a couple times. Coach Specht put in a great foundation and I really think our program is on the upswing."

Jeff McCullough, who coached in Norman, Okla., the past two seasons and was previously at Sherman, has been selected to replace Specht. He is bringing in his brother Joe (the former head coach at Van Alstyne) as the assistant after former Eagles assistant coach Jeremy Josey received the head coaching position at Sulphur Springs.

Meanwhile, Specht has his daughter's wedding to look forward to in December and future plans of traveling or perhaps just relaxing on the beach.

"When I talked to coach Williams back in May, it was a situation that I compared to water skiing," he said. "I've always loved water skiing and I'd like to let go of the rope instead of wiping out.

"I felt it was a good time to leave and the program is in good position going forward."

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