WesternWA notebook: Coaching legend Bob Ames gets honorable boost at Meridian

State's No. 3 all-time winningest coach with 332 wins in 44 seasons before retiring in 2020 will have school's field named after him in ceremony Saturday

Retired Meridian football coach Bob Ames will see the home stadium bear his name as “Bob Ames Field” on Saturday. He won 332 games in 44 seasons at the school. (Meridian football / Courtesy)

A couple weeks before turning 80, Bob Ames’ mornings have slowed down dramatically.

The retired legendary football coach at Meridian High School will work in the garden. He’s also been absorbed by Shelby Foote’s three-volume “The Civil War: The Narrative,” of which he is nearing the end.

If his eyes allowed him, he would still sit in his chair and solve the daily crossword puzzles.

Once mid-afternoon hits, the coaching spirit within him rises. He makes his way to Meridian’s football practice to help out son, Pat, working with offensive linemen.

In the purest sense, he is truly a one-school legend, and will be honored Saturday in Laurel when the school officially declares its stadium by a new name — “Bob Ames Field.”