Nick Delinski is a Metamora Redbird through and through, born and raised there.

It took a side trip to Princeton to bring him home.

Delinski spent four years at Princeton High School as an assistant football coach and in three years as head baseball coach, he led the Tigers to their greatest season in program history in 2005.

He returned home in the fall of 2005 to become the offensive coordinator for his hometown Metamora Redbirds, a position he held for 20 years.

This fall, he fulfilled a dream to become the new head football coach of the storied Metamora program, which has a 67-34 record over playoff appearances, including three state championships and seven state runner-up finishes.

He said it’s hard to put into words what it means to be the head coach of the Redbirds.

“It’s one of those things you always wanted and then when you get there, you don’t know how to explain it. To be able to take over the program is pretty special,” said Delinski, a 47-year-old father of two daughters and a sophomore football player.

The Redbirds improved to 5-1 with last week’s 37-13 win over Pekin, eying their fifth straight playoff appearance.

Delinski played for former Metamora head coach Pat Ryan, now a liaison to high school coaches for the University of Illinois. He came to Princeton out of college to coach for Joe Ryan, Pat’s brother, who is retiring at the end of the season at Sycamore.

While the two Ryans motivate differently, Delinski said, they are similar in how they built a culture and in making every kid feel important.

“That’s one thing I really, really admired from Pat on how much every kid believed in what Pat said to them. I think one time we had 150 kids in the Metamora program and I think 1 through 150 thought their role no matter what it was was the most important for us to get a win Friday night.”

Delinski was recruited to Princeton in the fall of 2000 by Joe Ryan, who took over as the Tigers head football coach in 1995 and endured some tough times before building them into a 4A semifinalist in 2002.

“The biggest thing I learned from Joe is you just got to be yourself,” Delinski said. “He went through that period where he didn’t win any games (0-15) for a long time. But he didn’t waiver who he was and what he wanted to be as a coach and that you’re doing the right thing and you’re creating the right environment for winning. It’s just sometimes it takes a little while to get there.”

Delinski took that approach to the ball diamond when he took over the Tigers baseball program in the spring of 2003. Two years later, after 10- and 12-win seasons, he led the Tigers to their most successful postseason, winning their only sectional championship in 2005, reaching the Class A Sweet 16, finishing 20-12.

It was a loaded team featuring the 1-2, righty-lefty pitching punch of Tony McCombs and Alex Marquis, catcher Jordan Holmes and second baseman Blake Whitson, who shared BCR Player of the Year honors.

The Tigers beat Bureau Valley 2-1 and Mendota 8-6 for the regional title and Fieldcrest 2-1 and IVC 7-4 to win sectional, all games at Mendota. Holmes hit a two-run homer and grand slam in the regional finals and added a game-clinching, two-run shot in the top of the seventh in the sectional finals in a “Holmes Sweet Holmes” moment.

“It was just a special group and that was really a fun run that we made. Kids really bought in and had a lot of support and I think we made baseball fun for a spring. That’s all you can ask for,” Delinski said.

“We knew going in after their junior year, we’d be really good on the mound with those two guys (McCombs and Marquis). If we could get things set up correctly going into the tournament time you could go alternating through the super sectional which is what we did. I think our kids believed in each other. They played together for so long they knew somebody was going to get the big hit or make a big play or we were going to get the big strikeout when we needed it.”

One game that stands out is upsetting Chillicothe IVC for the sectional finals, a team featuring future big leaguer Zach McAllister, who while didn’t pitch in the game, hit a homer. The Grey Ghosts would go on to win the state title a year later.

“Beating IVC was huge. They go on undefeated next year and won a state championship. That game was special,” Delinski said.

The Tigers met their match in the supersectional at Bloomington, shut out 5-0 by hard-throwing Williamsville pitcher Collin Brennan, who would go on to pitch at Bradley University.

“We competed our tails off against a team that was a little more talented than us and that’s what that group did. I don’t think they ever thought they were out of the game, event when the talent was better on the other side,” Delinski said.

“Even after that game. I don’t know if there was sadness. It was sadness that it was over but it was just a joyful time getting there and the excitement when it was all said and done.”

One funny story Delinski remembers is telling Tiger leadoff man Evan Hultine he needed glasses to see the ball better.

“His dad (Lynn) wanted to give me the bill and I said, ‘I don’t know if I can pay the bill sir, but I think it’s going to help Evan.’ And I think it did,” Delinski said with a laugh.

While it was 20 years ago, Delinski said his time at Princeton “seems just like yesterday” because of the relationships he built with those players. He said he often sees Marquis on the travel baseball circuit and enjoys reminiscing.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrmews.com