At the Lafayette baseball field, a tree was planted to honor the memory of Gary Dunahue. It’s where the Lancers have prayed before every home game since the former head baseball coach died of cancer on Sept. 30, 2003.

This season, six years after taking Dunahue’s place and starting that ritual, Steve Miller has retired from Lafayette baseball and left a legacy that won’t soon be forgotten.

In addition to guiding players in high school, Miller also had a knack for preparing them to play at the next level. According to the 2008 Lafayette baseball media guide, 10 players were drafted into Major League Baseball (MLB) during his time at the school and at least 50 went on to play collegiately. The impressive list includes Cardinals third baseman David Freese and Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.  

By all means, the Miller had tremendous on-field success at Lafayette as well as Hazelwood Central in the early 1980s. His teams built a reputation for strong pitching and aggressive base running that translated to multiple Conference and District titles at both schools. In the highly competitive Suburban West, Miller lived up to the challenge of maintaining Lafayette’s standing as a baseball power.

But his records as a baseball coach were only part of the story. For 10 years before taking the job, Miller served as Lafayette’s Activities Director as well as an assistant coach for baseball and football. During that time, he built a reputation for representing Lafayette’s entire athletic program.

“He bled black and gold,” current head baseball coach Scott DeNoyer said. “As an ambassador of Lafayette, he understood what it meant to coach, to mentor, lead, build and nurture individuals and teams to pursue excellence.”

“His skill in leadership helped build the strongest program in the area. He worked with coaches and Character Education to build consistent expectations and had the highest integrity you will ever find,” Junior Principal Matt Dieckhaus said.

At Hazelwood Central, Miller led the school to State championships in 1981 and 1982. He then went on to work in the University of Missouri football program, where he recruited extensively in the West County area. From then on, he developed a close connection with local high school sports that eventually brought him to Lafayette.

If it wasn’t for his humility, Miller might have had even longer to work on his already impressive coaching resume. At the time he was hired as Activities Director in 1993, Bob Swift was retiring from a legendary 23-year career at Lafayette that included three State championships from 1971-1973. Miller had an opportunity to take the job, but decided to promote longtime assistant Rusty Ryan instead.

“I knew he had an interest in (the job) and I had been a head baseball coach already so it really wasn’t a big deal for me,” Miller said.

He would do the same for his close friend Dunahue after Ryan’s retirement in 2002. While serving as an assistant, tragedy struck when the head coach was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the fall of that year. Miller stepped in during Dunahue’s chemotherapy and took over the program after his death the following year.

“All Gary wanted to do was be the head baseball coach here. That was his ambition. It was a trying year that whole year and we got a lot closer during that time. He had a vision at Lafayette and I promised him I would try to fulfill that vision,” Miller said.

Part of keeping that promise was pursuing Dunahue’s plans to remodel the school’s baseball stadium. Those renovations included batting tunnels, pitching bullpens and bleachers that Miller said would create a “stadium atmosphere”. Thanks to a donation from Howard, he is also working to complete a new scoreboard in leftfield that will honor the 2006 MLB MVP.

In that way, Miller is still leaving his mark on Lafayette. Even after his retirement from baseball, he still makes regular trips to pay his respects at Dunahue’s tree and visit old friends. He’s no longer part of the school’s daily operation, but his face is still a welcomed sight after 17 years.

During the fall, he arrives at the practice fields to take his place as one of Manne’s assistant football coaches. It’s a modest position for a man who’s so well respected at the school, but it’s exactly where Miller wants to be.

“I just think the coaches and the sponsors here at Lafayette have been great. They were very supportive when I was here and they were really easy to work with. Lafayette’s just a great place to be in. Our district is really first class, and in particular Lafayette because I was here for such a long time. The kids were great,” he said.

Last year’s group of seniors finished third in State and went 22-4, finishing as the second most victorious class in school history. Now it’s been left to DeNoyer and current Activities Director Steve Berry to pick up where Miller left off.

“I have learned a great deal from Coach Miller in my tenure as the Head Softball Coach and since I joined the baseball program a couple years ago I have learned even more from him,” DeNoyer said, “I plan on carrying on Coach Miller’s legacy by showing the players I work with how much I care about them as I truly believe they will be more tomorrow than they are today.  Building the characteristics of a champion is my goal as we pursuit excellence on and off the field.”

“You’re maintaining a certain level of excellence, but now I have to put my own stamp on (the program). Coach DeNoyer is aware of the tradition. He’s not going to be coaching year to year, but coaching the program,” Berry said.

For Miller, it wasn’t enough for his players to excel on the baseball diamond. Not only did he collect victories, but also made it a priority to preach the value of family and good character. For this, he is remembered for mentoring just as much as teaching the game’s fundamentals.  

“He had a passion for coaching. I’ll remember how much he had invested in players as people. We had a lot of traditions and it’s going to be a different atmosphere. I loved playing for Coach Miller,” senior J.T. Miller said.

So sure enough, the team prepared for the 2010 season opener just it had done for every home game under Miller. Only this time, the team’s pregame jog had a different leader and an unfamiliar voice led the Lancers in prayer. The routine was the same, but Miller’s absence couldn’t be ignored. Whether they meant to or not, the players were honoring two coaches at once.