After 29 years of Lawrence High athletics, Ron Commons is calling it quits at the end of the school year.
For 19 years, Commons has held the position of athletic director following a coaching stint. Under his tenure the school constructed new on-campus athletic facilities. However, Commons said he is ready to retire while things are going well and he can still enjoy things in life.

Q: How long have you been the athletic director at LHS?
A: “At the conclusion of this year, it will be 19 years.”

Q: What led you to that position?
A: “Nineteen years ago there was an assistant principal that had retired and they were looking for somebody to fill that position. I was coaching and teaching at the time with a masters degree in physical education, so I was really interested in moving into that spot.”

Q: Which did you enjoy more, being a coach or athletic director?
A:“They both have their positives. I really enjoyed the interaction with all the students. (When I was a coach), I would get kids coming in as sophomores and would grow with them until they were seniors. At the same time it’s always fun as an athletic director to figure out schedules and conflicts that need to be resolved.”
Q: What were the main influences for your decision to retire at the end of the year?
A: “While I’m still having fun [being the Athletic Director], and everything seems to be in pretty good shape here at Lawrence High, I want to have time to watch my grandkids do things, do some traveling, obviously do a lot more fishing.”

Q: How involved do you think you’ll still be with Lawrence High athletics or even beyond after your retirement?
A: “Somebody else is going to be wearing that hat. I obviously don’t want to interfere with their job, yet I’ll always be willing to consult and help them problem solve. That will become someone else’s baby, and I will be glad to step aside completely and just come to games when I have the opportunity.”

Q: How does the funding for the Athletic Department work? Is it mostly booster money that is spent or is a majority of it USD 497 money?
A: “There are three sources of money that we use for athletics. First when students buy activity tickets, that $25 comes back in to help support us. Second, the school district does have some funds that come from their general budget to help us out. Our main source is through ticket sales at games. there are also a few fundraisers we do to help us also. All the money raised by the booster clubs goes to the specific sport they back.”

Q: What is it like to oversee those funds for the whole athletic department?
A: “Nineteen years ago that was a real eye opener of how much money is spent through the athletic department, from buying uniforms, equipment, paying officials, transportation, it really starts to add up throughout a school year.”

Q: The Kansas State High School Activities Association obviously isn’t the NCAA, but what kind of violations are there that you need to be aware of, and have any of those ever came up?
A: “Occasionally we have things we have to report to the KSHSAA. Most of it is self reporting, all the way from a student that might be ineligible because of academics, or a violation of code of conduct that prevents someone from playing. An example would be in soccer when a player gets a red card then they are not permitted to play in the next game so there is always a self report that goes to the KSHSAA on that.”

Q: How much were you dealing with the surrounding neighborhood when the school district wanted to build on site athletic fields?
A: “Fortunately most of that was handled by the school administration and the superintendent, I had a lot more fun dealing with the facility part, dealing with the architects, the builders, the contractors and deciding where we wanted ticket booths and flag poles. I have a passion for that, making the executive decision of where things are going to go.”

Q: Any suggestions as to who the school should bring in or move up from a current position to take your place at year’s end?
A: “I’ve given them enough time so they can advertise for the job, I think they plan to connect that (Athletic Director) with another administration position, so somebody will be wearing a couple of hats there. I’m not sure if I will have any input whatsoever when it comes to my replacement.”