For Martinsville athletic director Kip Staggs, family time signals retirement

Before he announced his retirement on April 2, Martinsville high school athletic director Kip Staggs attended the birthday party of his two-year granddaughter.

That was until the job pulled him away to an event.

That’s the life of an athletic director. The cost of an unforgiving sports schedule.

“That was a pretty strong moment for me,” Staggs said. “We as ADs, regardless of it's at Martinsville or wherever, sacrifice so much because we're always attending an event, home or away, and we're always managing the event. When you do that, it takes you away from other things that you may or may be able to do."

Martinsville athletic director Kip Staggs announced his retirement on April 2.

A career that spanned over three decades in public education will end at the conclusion of the 2025-26 school year. The closing chapter of a 35-year run, rooted in sacrifice and sports memories, will soon shift to family life.

“My best starting five has been my family,” Staggs said. “And now my family has grown with grandkids and significant others … Now it’s time for me to step back, be a little more present with them, be a little more present with their kids, help them along their journey. And so, that’s part of the reason for retirement at this time when I could really continue if I wanted to.”

Staggs began his career in 1991, the year when Nirvana was crushing the airwaves. When Michael Jordan won his first NBA Championship with the Chicago Bulls. When the Super Nintendo Entertainment System first launched in the United States.

Before he turned in 35 years of service, Staggs started as a business teacher, assistant basketball coach and cross-country coach at Terre Haute South High School. In 1995, he began his first stint at Martinsville, his alma mater, where he served in multiple positions, including as a coach and athletic director.

"I think (coaching) helped me because I ran tournaments when I was younger and we had events during the summer with our incoming freshman, so I was kind of able to cut my teeth a little bit," Staggs said. "It helped the transition to become an AD, even though there was a lot more to learn, but I was able to learn a lot during that time.

"Don Lipps was the athletic director at Martinsville and he was able to show me a lot during that time and so I just grew as a professional ... I think I was very blessed to be around people that allowed me the opportunity to grow professionally. Whether that was through coaching, whether that's through athletic administration."

Staggs took over as athletic director at Cascade High School and Franklin Community High School before he returned to his old stomping grounds of Martinsville in 2013.

He served as the boys basketball coach and athletic director for the Artesians. As a hoops coach, he helped Martinsville clinch conference championships, sectional titles and state rankings before he retired from coaching in 2024.

Staggs balanced the role of coach, athletic director and family man over the years. He is a veteran in public education — a catalyst to athlete and coaching development.

Who created basketball magic with some of the top hoopers in school history. Who organized events and had a front row seat to the evolution of student athletes. Who navigated through the changing trajectory of public education. Who took pride in helping student athletes and coaches reach their potential and take the next step in their lives.

“Coaches will come to me about a situation about what to do — I tend to lean on my own experiences,” Staggs said. “What worked for me, what didn’t work for me. How can I share that with the coaches that we currently have on staff and others. There’s a lot of fun in that and helping them grow as well.

“Watching individual athletes excel and go to the next level is fun, and watching freshman turn into seniors. There’s a huge growth that happens in those three or four years on and off the floor … to walk across the stage and be ready for that next step. There’s a lot of internal gratitude that you have, maybe being a part of that somewhat.”

Staggs’ schedule will stretch wider in retirement. Years of sacrifice have led to the end of one chapter and the start of another. Staggs now eyes family life — the payoff of a career built on sacrifice and sustained by passion.

“Sixty, 70 hour weeks, there’s a lot of hustle to it,” Staggs said. “But I think if you enjoy the work, it doesn’t seem like work. And there’s been a lot of times for me when that’s been the case.

“I’ve just been very blessed to do it, the majority of my career, at a place that values athletics and it’s important in Martinsville and that helps along the away. I can’t say enough for the number of tremendous people I’ve met, the great relationships that have been developed over time. Just extremely blessed and honored.”

Marc Ray is a high school sports reporter at the IndyStar. He can be reached at MARay@gannett.com , and on X, formerly Twitter, at @themarcszn.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Martinsville AD Kip Staggs to retire after 35 years in public education