Retiring teacher Carrigan hands off rich legacy

During his more than a quarter-century at La Conner High, Mike Carrigan has tackled a wide range of teaching assignments – from algebra to U.S. history to industrial arts.

Turns out, he was a big-time tackler long before arriving here in the early 1990s.

A native of Orting, southeast of Tacoma, Carrigan played defensive back at Stanford University, where he squared off against the likes of future Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and 1968 Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson.

His Stanford teammates included Jim Plunkett, the 1970 Heisman choice and a Rose Bowl Most Valuable Player.

Because of his unique skill set and ability to connect with students, Carrigan from the start established himself as a valuable member of the La Conner faculty.

His lasting impact was apparent during La Conner High’s recent commencement exercises when attention briefly turned from this year’s graduates to the soft-spoken Carrigan.

He was greeted with a heartfelt standing ovation from the large crowd at Landy James Gym.

The feeling was mutual.

“I see many people,” Carrigan said, “to whom I feel I owe so much.”

Among those who rose in applause was Dallas Wylie, grandfather of La Conner grad Jack Tronsdal, and a friend of retired Mount Vernon High and Skagit Valley College coach Dave Quall, a former state lawmaker who had coached Carrigan at Orting.

“Dave Quall,” said Wylie, “told me Mike Carrigan was the best athlete he had at Orting.”

Good enough, in fact, to draw attention of college coaches.

Carrigan enjoyed his time at Stanford, where he earned a degree in political science, and followed his older brother, Andy, a starting linebacker, onto the football team.

As a sophomore, Carrigan and his Stanford teammates faced Simpson and high-powered Southern Cal.

“They were ranked No. 1 in the country,” Carrigan said, “and ended up beating us 30-0.”

But Stanford even then was developing a program that would win successive Rose Bowls after the 1970 and ‘71 campaigns.

Carrigan sustained injuries during his junior and season series, yet has no regrets.

“It was a great experience,” he said.

But he was ready to return to the Pacific Northwest after college, where a younger brother, Casey, was a renowned pole vaulter who had set the Washington state high school record and qualified for the 1968 U.S. Olympic team.

Still, it was the long road that Carrigan took to La Conner.

He taught in Soap Lake, in eastern Washington. He worked in an office in Everett. He fished and worked heavy equipment in Alaska.

La Conner eventually beckoned.

Carrigan was then at a job where he felt he “was trading time for money.”

La Conner had an opening for a shop teacher and assistant football coach, and Carrigan was interested.

“I decided I needed a change,” he recalled.

It helped that La Conner High’s principal at the time was Ken Winkes, a fellow Stanford alum who had known Carrigan’s brother Andy while at The Farm.

If the well-traveled Carrigan needed a sign as to whether La Conner would be his new home he received it while checking out Whittaker Field.

“I climbed the bleachers and prayed about it,” he reflected. “When I opened my eyes, I was looking down at that beautiful field. There was a tractor plowing next to it. There was a fire engine and logging trucks out on La Conner-Whitney Road. I could see Mount Baker in the distance. And I could see the masts of sailboats going down the channel.

“To me,” he said, “this seemed like a storybook town. When I walked around, up along the waterfront, that feeling was confirmed. I knew then that I wanted to work in a storybook town.”

Little did Carrigan know at the time but he would write many new chapters of his own.

His approach as a teacher and coach was to build self-confidence among students while expanding his own parameters. By all accounts, he succeeded at both.

Carrigan enlisted Swinomish carver Kevin Paul to join him in the La Conner High shop, which in turn led to a fruitful interaction with the Tribe that continues to this very day.

“What I appreciate about the Swinomish Tribe,” said Carrigan, “is that every event there always starts with a prayer. There’s an underlying respect for something greater than one’s self.”

In retirement, Carrigan plans to do much of what he’s done during his lengthy tenure in La Conner. His tools of the trade will remain close at hand.

“I like building stuff,” Carrigan said. “Of course a lot of it is just repairing stuff.”

And he’ll continue helping students build strong foundations for the rest of their lives through work with the Young Life Christian outreach program.

“For me,” said Carrigan, “the spiritual piece of the puzzle is a pretty important one.”

Travel is also part of the game plan for the former college football player and his wife, Joanne, who look forward to visiting their 12 grandchildren and his 97-year-old mom.

The couple will maintain their home base of five acres south of Conway, while still being connected to La Conner. The reason is simple.

“La Conner,” explained Carrigan, “is a great place to be part of.”