‘Unsung hero’ embraces his faith and the opportunities to create lasting memories
As the co-head coach of the boys’ golf program at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, Jim Poole works closely with his team members, including giving a tip to Noah Irwin, during this past season. (Submitted photo)
By John Shaughnessy
As Jim Poole stepped forward to receive the prestigious award, he was visibly touched by the honor, but he also remembered something that has always bothered him about such moments in sports, and he was determined to let everyone at the event know exactly what he felt deep in his heart.
As for the award, Poole couldn’t have been more moved that the Indiana Professional Golfers Association (PGA) had chosen him to receive the 2024 Deacon Palmer Award. It’s named in honor of the father of one of the greatest golfers of all time—Arnold Palmer—and it’s given to “an unsung hero” who represents “outstanding integrity, character and leadership in the effort to overcome a major obstacle in their life.”
At 58, Poole has strived to live his life by these qualities. And that drive for the co-head coach of the boys’ golf program at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis has intensified since being diagnosed 13 years ago with stage 4 prostate cancer, a life-threatening diagnosis that indicates the cancer has spread to other parts of his body.
And yet for Poole, a member of St. Susanna Parish in Plainfield, those 13 years have been marked by a combination of joy, gratitude and faith. And that last gift—faith—is the source of what has long bothered Poole about such wonderful personal moments in sports.
“Every once in a while, you see an athlete stand up and say, ‘All glory to God. I thank him for everything. He’s given me all the gifts I have to get to this point.’
“Yet, it’s never a Catholic who’s the one saying that. It’s a Christian, a Baptist, whatever. Catholics don’t talk that way, and it’s always bothered me. And so, when I got my award, I wanted to make sure I gave credit to my Catholic faith in front of all the PGA members. I just wanted to give credit to my faith for allowing me to live the type of life that anyone would consider me for this award.”
While that story shows Poole’s dedication to his Catholic faith, there’s another story that reveals his approach to life and coaching.
‘I want all of us to have great memories together’
On Roncalli’s athletics website, here’s how Poole describes his goal for each season: “Whatever happens this season, I create amazing memories every year!”
When Poole was asked about that goal in an interview, he added, “That’s what it’s about, right? There are things we look back on that make us happy. Oftentimes, we relive them over and over and over for years. I want these kids to have their moments that they can remember for the rest of their lives. I want all of us to have great memories together.”
One of those great memories occurred this spring when the team did well in the Marion County tournament. To celebrate that performance, Poole and co-head coach Greg White took the golfers out for a meal at a place where the specialty is a hot chicken sandwich.
“It’s a fun little restaurant. They’ve got graffiti on the walls and punk rock music playing,” Poole recalls with delight. “It was a gorgeous day. We sat outside and laughed together while listening to punk rock music and eating chicken sandwiches.”
Asked about the punk rock music, Poole notes, “Oh yeah, I love that stuff. I’m a big fan of The Clash.”
That joy and the appreciation of the small, important moments in life have made him well-loved by his golfers.
“He is truly an inspiration to everyone around him,” says Nathan Fikes, who recently completed four years of playing under Poole at Roncalli. “He has faced a multitude of struggles throughout many years, but this has not stopped him from being a great teacher and mentor to many. He spends every day trying to help others. He has an open-door policy where anyone can come anytime to get a golf lesson or get advice.”
Roncalli’s athletic director David Lauck notes, “There isn’t a tougher, more prepared coach in our athletic department. Coach Poole is beyond deserving of any and all honors and recognition that come his way.”
For Poole, it’s all a part of sharing the gift of life, in thanksgiving for the extra years of life he continues to have.
“I see what happens around me,” he says. “While there are many days where I do not feel my best, I have seen so many people who have lost their lives in the 13 years since I’ve been diagnosed. I try to take advantage of the opportunities I have been given to this point—to try in some small way to validate my existence while so many others were not given these opportunities. I have seen the wonderful side of people. I am so grateful to be here and to have learned what I have learned from being a cancer survivor.”
He’s also grateful for the extra time he’s had with his wife of 30 years, Kelly, who has faced her own serious health issues.
‘It was devastating, scary’
They met at Marian University in Indianapolis in a philosophy/religion class while sitting next to each other. Her faith was clear to him while his had faded, but he went to a Mass to impress her—which became a turning point in his faith.
That faith was tested when their twin sons, Luke and Mark, were infants.
“The boys weren’t quite one when Kelly was diagnosed with lymphoma,” Poole recalls. “It was devastating, scary. With twin kids under one, you try not to think forward in that situation. You just try to focus on every day and moving forward. When I imagined going forward without her and raising Luke and Mark on my own, that was challenging. We were lucky. She was done with everything in a year.”
Later, Kelly was diagnosed with breast cancer and more recently she suffered a bout of pneumonia, surviving both. Then there was his diagnosis. He kept getting sick, then the pain in his side became unbearable.
“When I was diagnosed, I was only 45 years old. The reason my rib hurt so bad was that the cancer had metastasized to my bones. My rib had cancer in it, and it broke,” he says. “When I went in for my appointment, I was told I had the largest and firmest prostate they had ever felt. I was in complete shock, my head spinning. The doctor said, ‘I’d like to start your treatment today.’ I said, ‘All right, let’s go.’ It was scary, a lot of tears.”
Thirteen years later, he still gets an infusion of a bone strengthener every six months “so my bones can continue to work,” he says. Through the years, he’s also taken a lot of different medications to keep the cancer in check. When one eventually fails, the doctors put him on another. He knows the latest medication will fail, too.
“Then, we will try something else,” he says, knowing the real possibility that there may come a time when the cancer prevails.
Even with that possibility, his faith endures.
‘I don’t take things for granted’
“I remember when I was first diagnosed, I had the fear, and that stays with you for a long time—I mean, for years,” Poole says. “I was just scared of dying. Not just death itself. The biggest thing for me was my children.
“Coaching really helped in those early years of fear. Faith was a big deal, too. Just going to church and thinking about things when you’re there and praying. I’m always asking for help and strength to be better, to be stronger.”
In fact, he wears his faith on his right wrist, showcasing it on a thin blue band that says, “Stay positive,” a band that also has “G3” on it, a short way of noting “Give God Glory.”
“I don’t take things for granted. I live a very grateful life,” he says. “I think that’s one of the things that has really helped me on my journey.”
The journey of the past 13 years has included extra time with Kelly, who is a teacher at St. Susanna School. It has also involved nine seasons of coaching at Roncalli.
“My greatest joy is seeing these young kids develop, not just as golfers but as young men,” he says. “My attitude toward these kids is just love. You just cherish every opportunity because you just don’t know how many you have left. The kids know I’m emotional. They know how much I care for them. I tell them I love them.”
The journey has also included the joy of coaching both his sons at Roncalli and then watching them play golf in college.
It’s a journey of gratitude that has also brought Poole closer to other people.
“Sometimes being sick can be a blessing,” he says. “When you have your down moments, you don’t realize until you’ve been in them how good people really are. There’s the kindness and the generosity and the love I got from people everywhere. It was earth-shattering. I’m so thankful to those people.”
That thanks especially connects to the message he shared when he received the Deacon Palmer Award—how he relies on God.
“I was never angry or frustrated at God,” he says. “I understood these things happen to people. I always remember the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People. It was reassuring. It’s just the way life is. I get it. So, I just wanted to be the best I could be. Plus, I thought more about my afterlife. I want to see God in heaven. So, what can I do to make that happen? I think I’ve been pretty good, but have I done enough? I still ask myself that question all the time.
“I’m good with God. Absolutely. I love him.” †
