For the first time in more than 50 years, Frosty Westering didn't coach football this fall, content to let his son, Scott, guide Pacific Lutheran.

"They put me in the press box, but that was too sterile," the 77-year-old Westering said. "So I got a seat high in the stands."

In November, Westering, who retired after winning an astounding 305 games, underwent major back surgery to relieve pressure on his sciatic nerve that had forced him to coach from a stool on the sideline his final year.

"There were so many PLU nurses in the hospital that they gave me an "attaway" cheer before my surgery," said Westering, famous for his positive approach to coaching.

He said the pain in his back is gone and that he hopes to abandon his walker by the end of the year. He also plans to finish his new book, "The Strange Secret of the Big Time," a sequel to an earlier book, "Make the Big Time Where You Are," in the next year.

Westering said he will also be involved in clinics put on by the American Football Coaches Association for high-school coaches.

"We will deal with the art of coaching, not the science of coaching," he said. "Motivation, relationships, what we're all about."

Under Scott Westering, PLU posted a 6-3 record, losing the conference championship to Linfield, which went on win the NCAA Division III championship.

Blaine Newnham