Retiring teacher, coach urges Colony grads to ‘find their 68’

A football coach using a hockey reference as the centerpiece for his keynote address may not have been on the graduation bingo card, but that’s how Brian McIntosh rolls.

“Mac”, a beloved football and track and field coach and history teacher at Colony High School for decades who is retiring this spring urged the nearly 200 members of Colony High’s class of 2026 to “find their 68” during the school’s commencement ceremony May 20 at the Menard Center.

It’s a reference to National Hockey League legend Jaromir Jagr, who wore the jersey number 68 during his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“One of the greatest hockey players of all time, chose to wear the number 68. Most athletes choose a number that represents a personal lucky charm, a childhood idol, or perhaps a birthday number. Jagr’s choice was far deeper, far more significant, and holds a powerful lesson for you as you move on from high school and for all of us,” McIntosh said. “The year 1968, marked tragedy and a momentous stand for freedom in his home country of Czechoslovakia. It was a year Soviet-lead forces invaded to crush a human's rights protest. And his grandfather was sent to prison where he later died.”

McIntosh used Jagr’s story with the jersey number to urge the graduates to seek their own inspiration.

“By wearing 68, Yager was not celebrating personal achievement. He was honoring the memory of those who stood up for liberty and sacrifices made by his grandfather and the nation. His number is a permanent public reminder of what matters the most. As you leave the Colony halls, you are no longer just students following the syllabus. You're becoming authors of your own lives,” McIntosh said. “And the question I pose to you, what is your 68?”

McIntosh admitted he was reluctant to address the standing-room only crowd Wednesday night. Class speaker Addison Stewart said she was hesitant to give the sport of soccer a try. She gave it a shot as a sophomore. Now a senior, Stewart is a standout goalkeeper who will play at the college level in the fall.

Her message centered around regret, and not letting regret define a person.

“Regret is a powerful emotion, often rooted in our past, and tied to our perception of missed opportunities or chances. It can weigh us down, cloud our judgment, and prevent us from seeing the possibilities that lie ahead. However, it is important to remember that regret is also a teacher. It provides us with valuable lessons, helping us understand our values, our strengths, and our weaknesses. By acknowledging and learning from our regrets, we can transform them into stepping stones toward a brighter future. Letting go of regret is not about forgetting the past, but about accepting it,” she said.

Stewart said she stopped playing basketball as a freshman after seven years in the sport.

“If I hadn't played basketball, I never would have joined soccer and committed to playing college,” Stewart said.

Student speaker Dylan Hodgson, involved in a myriad of activities at CHS and the voice of the morning announcements, was named the person with the most school spirit. He’s a leader of Colony’s loud and proud Super Fans (seen at most sporting events). But Hodgson said a Super Fan’s work is not just on game day.

“Now, what is Super Fan? A Super Fan dedicates and puts their full passion and love into the event. It's not done just on the field. I've seen Super Fans in all of us in the minutes, days, and weeks leading up to an event. Superfans can't control the scoreboard, but they can control their commitment. Each and every one of us should go with our lives super fanning, giving it our 100%. We all know what 100% feels like. Maybe it was a hard test, a game, a performance, that feeling we wouldn't get given all that we could, pushed ourselves to our full potential. We've known that feeling of accomplishment and success. that when we set our mind to it, we can achieve anything. Why would we ever settle for less? Why would we allow ourselves not to give 100%? We will face challenges in the future. Some days we can't always be our 100%, but we can always give our 100%,” Hodgson said.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.