If there are two constants when it comes to coaching they are landscapes constantly change and friendships are always created.

Such was the case for the late Michael Meyer and current Avon football coach Rob Gibson, who graduated from South Putnam High School. 

While the two competed against each other the last two years, with Gibson serving as head coach at Owen Valley and Meyer coaching Greencastle, their paths extended well beyond the rivalry and it's one reason why Gibson took the news on Aug. 4 extremely hard when notified that Meyer had passed away unexpectedly while getting ready for the first day of school at Greencastle. 

"Coach Meyer was as good a person as I have ever met. I spent a lot of time with him in his classroom 1 on 1 for a few years. He cared about his players, he cared about his students and he loved his family. He talked about his family all the time. Every conversation had a story about one of his kids or his wife, Brenda. The world could use more people like Mike Meyer," Gibson told The Putnam County Post. 

After graduating from South Putnam, Gibson left for Marian University, where he spent two years coaching at South Putnam and two seasons at Cardinal Ritter. 

It was Meyer who gave him his first job after college, and it was Meyer who taught Gibson a lot about the profession. 

"You learn a lot about what not to do from a lot of people. I learned a lot from him about how to do things. Coach Meyer was detailed in his practice plans, he watched as much film as any coach I've worked with, and he found ways to use the players to their strengths," Gibson said. 

He continued by saying he took a lot away from his time with Gibson. 

"But the thing that I will always take from him is that he always found time to spend with his family even during the season. Every Thursday night was his date night with Brenda. As important as football was to him, his family was always more important," Gibson said. 

Gibson acknowledged when Meyer left Greencastle as head football coach, he hired him at Avon. 

"He's been with us since April. He was having so much fun," Gibson said. 

As for how the Orioles are planning on replacing Meyer, Gibson said they can't,

"You don't replace Mike Meyer. He does things and knows things that a lot of people wouldn't think of. When he wasn't going back to Greencastle, I gave him some time to relax and spend time with his family. Then I called him, told him he was coming to Avon. He laughed and then we met for lunch and agreed to it. I have already reached out to our decal company to discuss some things we can do for our helmets. I will really miss having him here. We have spent a lot of days together here. I love the Meyer family," Gibson said. 

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