After a courageous fight against ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), Allan Trimble, head football coach of the Jenks Trojans for 22 years, passed away peacefully over the weekend at St. Francis hospital. He was 56 years old.
Services have been set for Wednesday evening at the ORU Mabee Center. The service will begin at 6:30PM. Trimble is survived by his wife, Courtney, and his two daughters, Tylar Isenberg and Tori Trimble.
“We are so deeply saddened by the passing of Allan Trimble,” said Dr. Stacey Butterfield, Superintendent of Jenks Public Schools. “Our hearts are with his family and we offer them our most sincere condolences. Allan will certainly be remembered for what he accomplished on the football field, but his legacy is in the lives of the student-athletes he mentored and all those he impacted with his example of humility, service, and courage. He lifted up everyone around him and he will be greatly missed by so many in our community.”
In 2016, Trimble was diagnosed with ALS, a progressive disease that weakens muscles and impacts physical function. Trimble continued to coach the Trojans through the conclusion of the 2017 season and he announced his official retirement in April of 2018. He lived out his final years investing his energy in the Trimble Strong Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming people and communities both locally, and around the world.
Trimble took over as the head coach of the Trojans in 1996 and during his tenure, he guided the program to 13 state championships and posted an overall record of 252-43 (.854). Trimble set multiple 6A state records including longest win streak (39 games), most consecutive state titles (6 from 1996-2001), and most consecutive playoff victories (25). At the time of his retirement, Trimble was the most successful high school football coach in Oklahoma history. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in August of 2018.
In August 2017, the home of the Trojans, was officially re-named, Allan Trimble Stadium. One month later, Jenks Public Schools and the City of Jenks dedicated a section of B Street, which runs through the Jenks High School campus, as Allan Trimble Way.
“Allan’s heart was always in the right place,” stated Mike Means, Site Principal at Jenks High School from 1993 to 2016. “He was a man of great faith, and he used football as a platform to teach so many young men how to be better people. He emphasized character above everything else, and he will always be remembered here in Jenks for not only creating a winning tradition, but for being a positive role model to everyone he met.”
In addition to being honored four times as the Tulsa World Coach of the Year and being inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015, Trimble’s long list of national accolades includes Sporting News National Coach of the Year, Russell Athletic National Coach of the Year, USA Today National "Most Caring Coach" Award, and the 2017 American Football Coaches Association Power of Influence Award.
A native of Cleveland, Oklahoma, Trimble began his coaching career in 1987 as a linebacker coach at Owasso High School. After joining the Jenks coaching staff in 1990, Trimble was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1993 before being named head coach in 1996.