News out of Bangor Jan. 19 that longtime athlete and loyal supporter of Bangor High School sports John Doucette had died came as quite a shock to those of us who knew him.

I had the privilege in my first year of coaching basketball in the 1969-70 season to have John on my team.

I have many fond memories of that group of young men, who comprised the Columbia Street Baptist Church league team.

We logged many hours in the old gym next to the church, and John was a key figure in our run to an undefeated city title in Bangor and a subsequent state church league championship in Harrington.

As a player, John was very unselfish. A fiery competitor, he could shoot the ball with athletic ease and hustle to the other end of the floor and relentlessly guard his opponent.

How John loved the game.

Once he graduated from Bangor High, John and I became good friends. It was not unusual for many of those church league players to show up at my father’s house on Sunday afternoon to play touch football.

John may have been sweet and kind off the field of play, but in the open field of “touch” football, he was a rugged competitor.

I was blessed as a young coach to have such a group to begin my career. Players such as John, Ricky Nelson, Jim Downie, and brothers John and Bobby Swan, to name a few, were standout athletes who could compete with many high school varsity teams in the area.

Remember: This was YMCA church league basketball, but after our undefeated 20-0 city and state titles, I really wanted to see just how good we were. We challenged the Bangor High boys varsity basketball squad, which had recently completed a stellar season of its own before losing to Stearns High of Millinocket in the Eastern Maine Class LL final in Bob Cimbollek’s first year of coaching hoops at BHS.

The Rams beat us by nine points in a great game. That was our first and only loss.

John Doucette was the perfect quintessential triple-threat forward. He could ball fake with the best of them, then drive to the hoop. He was a Larry Bird-type set shooter. To top all that off, he was an excellent passer.

John played his high school ball during a time when local names such as Bob McKernan, Billy McGee, Randy Prouty, and brothers John and Mike Rice were dominating the BHS hoop scene. Otherwise, he might have been listed today among some of Bangor’s finest players.

But it was John’s softer side that I’ll remember most.

One crisp fall day, a bunch of us locals took on some other kids in a serious touch/tackle football game.

Make no mistake about it, dear readers: Those games were often rough.

On this particular afternoon, I was upended by an East Side kid in what would be termed today as a “cheap shot.” My West Side buddies came to my aid.

When I landed, I thought I might have broken my neck.

I started to get up to retaliate, but I couldn’t move. John had his knee on my chest.

“Stay down,” was all he said. “We got it covered.”

John was a good-sized kid. Heck, I couldn’t move. Not only was he defending my honor, but he was also keeping me from getting beat up by the other guys. He silenced the crowd with his quiet but firm demeanor and a tone which warded off the would-be assailants.

As family and friends go about the business of mourning their loved one and moving ahead without him, those who knew John best will remember the sweetness of the man.

I consider myself lucky to have begun my career with such a gentleman player. He combined grace with skill, and we are all better for the time we spent with him.

BDN columnist Ron Brown, a retired high school basketball coach, can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net