Keith Brown thinks he’s earned a day off. In 1975, he excelled on the Foss football team and the Falcons thrived. So he told coach Jack Sontag that his ankle was a little sore and he was going to take the day off.
Sontag looked him up and down.
advertise
“Well, if you can’t practice, I guess I’m going to have to find someone to take your place,” Sontag told him.
Brown’s ankle miraculously feels better.
“It shocked me,” Brown, 68, told The News Tribune by phone Monday afternoon. “From that day on, I didn’t care how many injuries I got, I just played. He just instilled that passion in you. I’m lucky to have him as my coach.”
Sonntag, who was born in 1936 and coached the 1975 Foss Falcons to the Class 4A state championship that year, has coached, taught and administered in Tacoma Public Schools. Sontag died on March 4, 2026, at the age of 89, just months before the 50th anniversary of the Foss State championship team.
advertise
“He was a real no-nonsense disciplinarian, but he was really committed to teaching kids right from wrong and not, like, your friends, holding people accountable,” said Sontag’s son, Scott, a social worker in Tacoma. “He really had a big impact on the kids in Tacoma that he coached, not just while coaching them but even after coaching them. To this day, they visit him at his home.”
“After he finished coaching, his care for the kids he played for was really special. I think it’s more of a legacy.”
Sontag graduated from Stadium High School, served two years in the U.S. Marine Corps—he was also a boxer—and later graduated from Seattle Pacific University. In 1963, he married his high school sweetheart, Betsy McBride, and together they raised four children. In 1963, he began coaching basketball and football at Gray and Hunter Junior High Schools. In 1972, he became an assistant football coach at Stadium and in 1973 took over as head coach at Foss. He coached the Falcons from 1973 to 1982 before beginning his executive career at Wilson in 1983.
Jack Sontag (second from left) with grandsons Mason (left), Isaiah and son Scott.
Brown was a standout receiver and freeback for Foss in 1975. He had an interception and a touchdown in the state championship game. While Sontag was tough on the team, Brown said the life lessons learned were immeasurable.
advertise
“He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” Brown said. “He was old-school, but fun. He taught us to work hard, really mentally, physically and emotionally. … He made us work as a team.”
Foss went undefeated that season, defeating nearly every opponent on its schedule before defeating Richland 17-7 at Seattle Memorial Stadium to capture the championship. Practice is very hard. Sontag requires his players to be in better physical condition than their opponents. It creates a connection between players.
“This group of guys so far, we have a certain bond because of him,” Brown said.
Scott Sontag said his father was soft-spoken but earned respect effortlessly. He is meticulous, detail-oriented and organized. His shoes were always polished, a habit that dated back to his days in the Marine Corps. He said that even in his later years, his father could still recall specific games from the football season 50 years ago.
advertise
“A special man,” said Scott Sontag.
One of Sonntag’s grandchildren, Mason, was a basketball player at Puyallup High School and helped lead the Vikings to back-to-back 4A state championship appearances in 2025 and 2026 at the Tacoma Dome.
A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 28, at 1 p.m., at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tacoma. It is open to the public.
