
Legendary So. Utah High School Hoops Coach Passes Away
If you want to learn about the true nature of a man, talk to the people around him -- his friends, family and in this case, his former players and students.
Former Hurricane and Pine View basketball coach Lynn Christensen (81) passed away earlier this week, and his former players and students took to social media to memorialize the man they knew as "Coach Lynn."
"Coach Lynn was an amazingly strong man, a good man, and he had a quirky sense of humor," wrote Jeremy Lister. "He could shoot free throws, one after another with his eyes closed, without missing. 'It’s as easy as picking your nose!' He’d say. He didn’t tolerate disrespect, and he could be stern, and intimidating if you were messing around. But what impressed me most, and what I always admired about him, was his genuine concern for others, and the tenderness, love, and respect he had for his wife. Whenever I saw them together, or when he talked about her, he was a different man. He was also very proud of his kids. I always admired Coach Lynn, and I will certainly miss him."
Another former student, Brendan Dalley wrote: "I didn't play basketball for Coach Lynn, but I did have the pleasure of having him coach me in baseball (as well as my regular Phys Ed Classes). I loved the man and have so many good memories of him."
Dalley said Christensen was known for his toughness and discipline, but added: "all this bluster was often followed up with an arm around your shoulder, a laugh, a Coach Lynn grin, a few shakes of the head, and some words of wisdom. You knew he cared for you. Thanks, Coach, for helping mold me into the man I am today!"
I first met Coach Lynn back in the mid-1990s when he was coaching Pine View High School basketball (he had previously coached at Hurricane as well). I didn't "get" him at first, seeing only the toughness and grit.
Later, when talking with some of his former players, I was impressed with how devoted and loyal they were to the man.
I knew by their behavior that I needed to get to know him better.
After he retired I got to know Coach Lynn on a social level and I also became enamored with his tenderness and heart (which was often hidden beneath a loud voice and strict persona).
He won many awards as a coach, including Coach of the Year in Utah and a whole bag full of region championships, and he was an exceptional 5-sport athlete (and was an amazing softball player his whole life).
But Coach Lynn's legacy will always be the positive influence he had on hundreds, perhaps thousands of young people's lives as a teacher, mentor and role model.
* -- Funeral services will be Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 11:00 am in the Washington East Stake Center at 1835 South Washington Fields Road, Washington, Utah. An evening visitation will be Friday, January 24, from 5:00 - 7:00 pm and a morning visitation will be Saturday, January 25, from 9:30-10:30 am at the same location. Interment will be in the Washington City Cemetery.

LOOK: Best counties to raise a family in Utah
Gallery Credit: Stacker
LOOK: Which movies were filmed in Utah?
Gallery Credit: Stacker
More From 106.1 KDXU








