MATTOON - Gerald Temples keeps a framed letter from legendary Bears coach George Halas in his home. It was sent to his father Glenn, who had made it through a series of cuts with Chicago and was about to be traded, at 28, to Pittsburgh to begin a football career.

A quote from late Illinois football coach Robert Zuppke about Temples' grandfather Chase, comparing his speed to that of Hall of Famer Red Grange, is now engraved and not far from reach.

Considering his family's legacy, it is clear why Temples was destined to become a football coach. That's why the message that he gave to his players when they returned their equipment Tuesday was so striking - he won't be returning to coach the Mattoon Green Wave for a 12th season.

"It was pretty depressing," said junior tight end Coleman Covington. "It just hit everyone real hard. We all just stood there and let him talk and it was pretty silent."

Temples could relate to their emotions. This was a group he cherished, one filled with battle-scarred seniors who will strike out on new paths at the same time he will. Be sure to mention them first, he said, when his choice became public.

"We've always told kids, especially seniors, as you come in, your senior year's the one you're going to remember," Temples said. "For me, it's such a pleasure to sit back and remember the last team that we had here because that bunch is special - their accomplishments, their heart and passion for the game, what they accomplished and how they accomplished it. I thank those kids for the fond memories that we're going to have of this year."

Temples is leaving behind a winner, having completed a 9-2 season in which his team soared to No. 3 in the 5A rankings and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. His record as Mattoon's coach was 62-48. Nine of those losses came in his first season, when he walked into a rebuilding situation. After that, he led the school to six playoff appearances, despite having the smallest enrollment in the Big 12.

In speaking of his retirement, he turned to coaches that he either played for or assisted at Millikin (Skip Matheson, Merle Chapman and Carl Poelker), where he "learned so much about football and so much about kids," to his successful first high school stint at Macon following Jack Burns, to the countless head coaches who were first assistants under him (St. Teresa's Scott Davis, Argenta-Oreana's Tom Saunches and Shelbyville's Rick Woolverton, to name three).

His one year as an assistant to Mark Ramsey at Central A&M produced a memorable run to the Class 2A state championship game.

But football has become more than a seasonal occupation. With weight training, camps, a summer month of contact days and 7-on-7s, he felt the need to get away from it all.

"You can't explain it," Temples said. "It's a feeling and it's time.

"Any time you do something for 30-some years, it's always a difficult decision. There's no question about that. I don't think it's any one season that dictates whether or not it's going to happen. It's a feeling that you get. A coach that's been doing it for a period of time can maybe understand that."

One more year remains on his contract as the school's athletics director. He plans to fulfill it, but he is reluctant to be a part of the next coaching search.

"I feel like I need to step away from that because I'm only going to be here for one year," he said. "I think whoever ends up there, that needs to be decided by people that are going to be around."

His players were the first to know of his decision, one that Temples said had been brewing for months.

"It had been talked about by people throughout the year," junior Chase Louthan said. "It was (surprising) to me. I figured he was going to stay another year or so.

"Obviously he's a good coach. His record shows it pretty well."

His father Glenn's NFL career never got off the ground, even though Temples remembers him running up and down the rows of the bean fields he cultivated trying to get in shape for tryouts. Instead of leaving the Midwest, he decided to return home and farm.

But he left an impression on his son that might keep this a thriving football community for some time.

Rick Dawson can be reached at rdawson@jg-tc.com or 238-6855.