Remembering Coach Tom Taraska; Wisconsin high school football legend

Remembering Coach Tom Taraska

A legend of high school football in Wisconsin died from injuries suffered in a crash. FOX6 News looks back on the career of Coach Tom Taraska.

MILWAUKEE - A one-vehicle accident in Waukesha County claimed the life of a 71-year-old man. That man was one of the most successful high school football coaches in Wisconsin history.

Tom Taraska had a very distinctive, raspy voice. His players remember it. Those who deal with him in the hallways of Arrowhead High School remember it. Media members remember it. Most remember him using that voice to connect and to encourage.

Taraska loved being an educator and a coach. He won four state championships and led another five teams to title games in building Arrowhead to a level of prominence that was without rival.

Taraska won more than 250 games in his years on the sideline in becoming a Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Famer. The Warhawks not play at Taraska Stadium.

Taraska became the head coach at Franklin High School in 1978 – and then at Arrowhead in 1982 before retiring 29 seasons later. He stayed connected to high school football in the ensuing years.