DAVENPORT, Iowa — Former track and cross country coach Ira Dunsworth led Davenport Central to 15 state championships and was a four-time Iowa Coach of the Year.
"He was the ultimate mentor. There was not a person that he did not listen to or would not come talk to," Assumption Track and Field Coach Tim O'Neill said. "The relationships he had with coaches is one thing, but he really sought out certain kids and followed their careers. Not just while they were here and their prep years, but collegiately and even post collegiately. He was very well in tune with what was going on in track and field and all the kids in this area."
Dunsworth died on Monday, April 18 at the age of 87. The track at Brady Street Stadium was named after Dunsworth last spring.
"You know there aren’t many people that you cross paths with and you walk away thinking I want to be just like that person," added Pleasant Valley track coach Kennty Wheeler. "How they treat other people, the respect and care they show you, when maybe you’ve only met him once or twice. I think a lot of my former athletes can remember conversations with him before meets and even the small interactions stood out. The legacy that someone can leave and you wouldn’t even have to spend that much time to know the impact he had on you as a person."
He was inducted into the Iowa Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981 and the Quad-City Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.