The Rising Sun and sports community is mourning the loss of Denny Carrigan who passed away from cancer on Tuesday, May 23rd.
The longtime coach and teacher is the only head coach to win sectional titles in two sports and in the same year.
Carrigan’s cross country team won the 1997 sectional and his basketball team won the sectional that season including a triple overtime win over Hauser.
As a teacher, the 1970 RSHS graduate took to the classroom later in life and spent 27 and a half years before his retirement.
He was a veteran example of discipline seen in his entire family and those he’s coached.
As science teacher, Denny Carrigan Trail was dedicated at the environmental park where he set up the most grueling cross country course. However, his purpose was centered on teaching about the environment.
His final moment on the sideline came in an alumni game last summer opposite of his mentor Mike Wilson.
A memorial service was held on Friday, May 26th in the high school gym. Hundreds of people attended but Denny had made arrangements to donate his body for science.
Denny won six ORVC cross country championships, a Sectional title in 1997, and made two semi-state appearances in 1996 and 1997.
Denny and his wife Bev were married nearly 43 years. In addition to his wife Beverly, Denny is survived by two daughters, Molly Martin (Jeremy), of Rising Sun, and Abby Friend (Ryan), of Aberdeen; by three sons Toby Carrigan (Raimi), of Florence, KY, CJ Carrigan, of Aberdeen, and Joe Carrigan (Jordan Thomas), of Lawrenceburg,; by grandchildren, Lucy Carrigan, Dylan Martin, Gracie Carrigan, Griggs Carrigan, Damon Carrigan and Carrigan Friend; and by a sister, Sandy Dugle (Chuck), of Rising Sun, IN.
You could see him coming with his dog Oscar taking up most of the back of his pick up truck.
He had class before the IHSAA went to the class sports system
One of the moments I’ll remember most is when players from Shawe knelt in prayer after a game against Rising Sun. Denny and some of his players joined in.
It was only appropriate that, when Rising Sun played Shawe on Saturday in the baseball sectional, the Shawe announcer asked for a moment of silence for the heartache felt by the Rising Sun community.
As evident at the memorial service, there were many Ohio River Valley Conference and other southeastern Indiana high school and tri-state colleges represented.