Terry Lakes

Honorary inductee

Terry Lakes, honorary inductee, may not have started life out as a Marion Giant, but he has made an unforgettable impact in the Giant Tradition, and is undeniably, proudly a Marion Giant for life!

Lakes has taught in the English Department at Marion High School since 1985, building a program that offers students an impressive number of early college credits. He has served for years as the chair of the department, and as a mentor to many younger teachers. He is a respected educational leader who has always held himself to the highest standards, with persistence and a willingness to work with the team to continuously improve opportunities for Marion students.

As effective as he is in the classroom, he has had a similar impact on the field, as cross country and track and field coach for more than 34 years. His astounding record of titles and championships is a reflection of the kind of coach he is: one that not only helps his student-athletes improve their skills, but who also inspires them to reach farther, to chase excellence.

He has influenced the lives of thousands of students, and the positive impact he has on the community of Marion is really incalculable, not to mention the ripple effects reaching far and wide. Coach Lakes lives up to the true measure of success: His students and athletes are better people because of the lessons they learned from him.

His fellow coaches describe him as a model for sportsmanship, a pillar of the sport, a
dedicated and selfless public servant, and more than all of that, a friend.
He has represented Marion High School with honor, and he is rightfully known as a
Giant legend.

He and his wife, Vicky, also an excellent teacher for Marion Community Schools for many years, raised three Marion Giants, Taylor, Elliott, and Matthew, who have taken on the challenge of treading in his father’s footsteps as cross country coach at MHS.

Coach Lakes has earned NCC Coach of the Year 21 times, and the track and field facility at Marion High School was named in his honor in 2018. He has also been an important contributor to the Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches, for which he has served as vice president and president, and for USA Track & Field - Indiana.

He holds a bachelor of science degree from Eastern Kentucky University (1982); a master’s degree in education from Ball State University (1990); and earned his Advanced Placement teacher certification from Indiana University (2001). He has served as an AP Adjunct Professor for IU since 2005.