Kevin Blunt’s career comes full circle in Stanton

This is the second part of a two-part series recognizing Kevin Blunt’s illustrious coaching and officiating career, as he retires at the end of the school year.

Kevin Blunt returned to Stanton as K-12 principal in 2012, and has been co-head boys basketball coach for six of those years.
Some memorable coaching memories from Stanton include competing against his former  assistant coach, Frank Sefrit of Bedford.
“The Stanton team that beat Bedford at Red Oak to win the District title and get a little revenge from the loss about 10 days earlier in the regular season was a special team.
“The Stanton Vikings teams that have won four of five conference tourney titles and the regular season titles have been very special. Cutting nets down never gets old!
“The Stanton/Lenox game is another that had some crazy moments.  We beat them in four overtimes on senior night. Their best player scored 40 points and had a legitimate 40 rebounds. We both had several starters foul out.  We had to make a 3 at the buzzer of the second OT and did. They needed to hit a 3 by a little used player, and they did to extend it to the fourth OT. Somehow, we pulled it out but that was an exhausting night where both teams kept making big plays.”  
Stanton activities director Jake Lord worked with Blunt as co-activities director before going solo.
“Coach Blunt has impacted my career in many ways,” Lord said. “First off, as a principal he hired me and gave me my first chance in the education world. Coming to Stanton has proven to be one of the best choices of my life. My wife and I love being a part of this school and community, and without Mr. Blunt, that never would have happened. He also has mentored me through coaching and gave me the opportunity to serve as the assistant basketball coach. Through this experience, I took in everything I could as I realized I was learning from one of the best in the business. Other coaches would often tell me to learn all I could from Coach Blunt because he was one of the ‘best coaches in the state of Iowa.’
“Lastly, he’s a great friend. He cares about his staff and has gone above and beyond to make Stephanie and I feel welcomed and included here in Stanton.”
Stanton coach Jeff Grebin remembers Blunt from previous years on the opponents bench.
“My first impressions were from coaching against each other in basketball when he was the head coach in Bedford,” Grebin said. “He was intense and his players were focused, but hospitality towards visiting coaches was a priority. I remember running into him at a restaurant after a Bedford state tournament game. Coach [Steve]Bruning and I went over to congratulate him, his staff, and team on their season, and he humbly turned it back to how good our team was that year.
“Becoming Stanton’s principal and activities director, I was excited to have him on board and looked forward to learning from him. He called me in to his office a number of times and we’d talk basketball. The opportunity presented itself to co-coach the basketball team, and again I looked forward to learning form him. What did I learn? Practices were going to be intense; every minute is going to be planned, expectations are going to be high, and he is a teacher of the sport. You don’t win 400 plus games and make trips to the state tournament by accident.
“He cares a lot about Stanton, his staff, and the students. The same is true of the coaches of our opponents and people he knows. I hear him ask how they are doing or how their family is doing, or he’ll ask them to let him know how it goes (surgery, game, trip out of town, etc). One Thanksgiving, my family went to Minnesota and I stayed behind for basketball practices and to get some work done around home. He got wind of me being home alone, and invited me in for Thanksgiving dinner.”
Blunt began officiating about 20 years ago.
“I had been playing a lot of softball with a team in Des Moines and when I got married to Tami,  I did not want to be gone that much during the spring and summer,” Blunt said. “I had been umpiring a little when not playing, and decided I liked doing that and would be doing more umpiring during the summer months.  I missed being around baseball, and umpiring gave me that chance to be involved in it.”
Many officials from the Iowa High School Athletic Association have worked with Blunt and have positive comments about their time officiating.
“Kevin Blunt and Don Hicks worked the fields at Stanton before and between games to make them just like the big league,” James Maranville, IHSAA offical said. “I worked a game for the state in second round with Kevin, and it was a perfect game working with him. He is such a pro umpire to work with. He is the kind of umpire who, when you first ever meet him and walk onto the field with him, professionalism followed. He was great with the kids and strived for the perfect performance.”
Blunt takes his job as umpire seriously, and uses that same intensity for coaching on himself when he steps on the court in stripes, or the diamond in blue.
“I think as an umpire you do not want to make mistakes,” Blunt said. “I know how important playing was to me, and I want to be as good as I can and make as many right calls as I can. Being an umpire is being able to be a part of the game, and I take that very seriously.”
Blunt can still be seen mowing lawns around Stanton and when baseball season begins again, Blunt will be found at Anderson Park either behind the plate or in the stands on more than one occasion. He lives in Stanton with his wife Tami, who graduated from Diagonal.
 “She was a very good athlete in softball and basketball,” Blunt said. “She was a guard on the team that beat Stanton in a regional semi-final game in the ’80-’81 season. I am proud to have two stepsons, Shane Miller and Justin Miller, and Tami and I have a son, Easton.” He has four grandsons.
“I am lucky to have been around and worked with many outstanding coaches and teachers at Stanton, Essex, and Bedford, and to have worked with many Hall of Fame umpires and officials. I am fortunate to be able to graduate from Stanton, and then, be able to return as principal and ‘retire’ here.”