Motorcyle crash takes life of 'gentle giant' coach

Rich Sowers, active in Lake Oswego High School and youth football, dies at age 60

By Matthew Sherman

The Lake Oswego Review, Sep 5, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (12 Reader comments)

Rich Sowers

Submitted / Lake Oswego Review

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Lake Oswego lost a “gentle giant” and a giant in the youth sports community last Friday afternoon when Rich Sowers was killed in a motorcycle accident near Detroit Lake.

Sowers, 60, was riding with friends Donald Hiebert, 54 and Jeremy Hiebert, 22, on Breitenbush Road. Both Heiberts took a corner on a weathered road and crashed, according to what Sowers’ wife Sandy was told by investigators.

Sowers then came around the corner and swerved to avoid his friends, losing control as well. Donald Hiebert was flown to Legacy Emmanuel Hospital while Jeremy Hiebert was treated and released at Santiam Memorial Hospital. Sowers was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sowers was adopted in Portland at the age of 2 and moved around the United States and Canada growing up. He went to high school in Ohio before joining the Navy.

In 1974 he moved back to the Northwest and became a contractor. He and his wife Sandy recently celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. They have one son David and Sowers has two other children from a previous marriage Keri Stone and Richard Sowers. The Lake Oswego couple also has two grandchildren.

“He was my life. We did everything together,” Sandy Sowers said.

He was known at Uncle Rich to the children that Sandy looked after in day care and loved to build things in his spare time.

“He was just a big teddy bear. He could be tough when he had to be but he was always looking out for people,” Sandy Sowers said.

Sowers made his biggest impact in the Lake Oswego community with the football program at Lake Oswego High School. He coached and was involved with the youth program for nearly 30 years and was largely responsible for coordinating that program with the high school varsity team. Now the youth program is one of the largest and most highly decorated in the state.

Sowers was also the strength and conditioning coach for the high school team, working with players year-round.

“He probably spent more time than anyone with the players, running offseason programs four days a week. He’s a hard guy to replace,” Lake Oswego football coach Steve Coury said.

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