Lincoln-Way East’s Rich Kolimas calls it a coaching career, but he’ll always be teaching in some way

Since Lincoln-Way East became a four-year high school in 2001, Rich Kolimas has roamed the halls as an English teacher and as the head coach for the boys basketball team.

He’s the only head coach the Griffins have ever known and one of the last remaining original faculty members at Lincoln-Way East.

When the school year comes to an end, however, that will no longer be the case.

After 24 years at Lincoln-Way East and nearly 40 years of coaching and teaching, Kolimas will retire. While his coaching days are likely over, he remains open to continuing his teaching role in the future somewhere else.

“I’m leaving the game, still loving the game,” Kolimas said. “I’m still loving teaching, but I’m getting a little fatigued. I’ve been a head coach for around 30 years, so that’s a lot of responsibility for a long time. I teach AP English Language with the juniors, so it’s very demanding to teach that and coach at a high level, especially at a school that demands excellence in the classroom and on the court.

“I’ve been very fortunate and blessed to do that for a number of years, but students and players demand high energy. I just figure I gave everything I could, and it was time to step away while a new coach steps in and raises this program to an even higher level.”

Kolimas began his coaching and teaching career in 1986 as an assistant at St. Ignatius. He went on to serve as a college assistant coach for Joey Meyer at DePaul before heading to Gordon Tech. When Kolimas heard about Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way East splitting, he took a teaching and assistant coaching position at Central in 1999.

After one year on the bench for the Knights, Kolimas moved over to the East campus to coach the freshmen and sophomores before fielding East’s first varsity team. That team featured no seniors, but still finished 12-12. Under Kolimas, the Griffins have won 341 games and regional titles in 2018 and 2023.

He often thinks back on the players he’s had the chance to coach and the various assistants who have shared the bench with him. He’s appreciated their loyalty and work ethic over the decades.

“Sometimes we think about our losses more than our wins,” Kolimas said. “We think about our close games that we didn’t pull out. I’ll have plenty of time during the summer to think back on the memories, but each season is different. It turns into a 16-week journey ... in which you’re with these guys every day and it’s just a joy to be a part of it.”

Twenty-five years is a long time to be at any place. Lincoln-Way East’s sustained athletic success is a clear reflection of its commitment to excellence.

However, what kept Kolimas coming to the classroom and the court each year wasn’t just the thrill of the game or the funds going into athletics. It was about being a part of a community that put education first.

“I wanted to be at a place where my children could go to school,” he said. “The standards are high here, and the people in the community value education. It wasn’t always easy, and the sacrifices you need to make to both teach and coach are a lot, but it’s been so rewarding because Lincoln-Way is such a special place to be. There are high-caliber teachers and parents who respect what the teachers are doing. It’s been a joy to be a part of something big like that.”

The community has shown appreciation for Kolimas on his way off the court and out of the classroom. Athletic Director Mark Vander Kooi sent Kolimas out on a high note, inducting him into the Lincoln-Way East Athletic Hall of Fame and hosting a regional. Kolimas thanked Principal Toriano Griggs and Scott Tingley for their continued support in basketball and English.

Kolimas’ time at Lincoln-Way East is coming to an end, but he remains undecided on whether or not he’ll continue to teach elsewhere. He plans to take some time to rest over the summer, but he also knows he “needs a project” in the future.

He hasn’t completely shut the door on staying involved in basketball, but he’ll always be teaching in one form or another.

Even now, he still may be doing so in the classroom.

“It was the demands of both [coaching and teaching] that wore me down,” he said. “I still think I have something to contribute in the classroom, where I’ve always put my priority. ...”