Joe Metzger Athletic Enrichment Fund
Type: Designated
Give NowEstablished 2026
This fund was established in memory of Joe Metzger, a lifelong Arlington resident, teacher and coach. This fund will support Arlington athletics by making admission to athletic events free for students, as Joe loved seeing stands full of students at games.
Joe was born in 1948 and married his wife Cynthia in 1974. They were married for more than 50 years, filling their years with family, travel and caring for one another. Joe and Cynthia have one daughter, Emily, and grandchildren Karina, Joey, Gemma and Zoe.
A 1966 graduate of Arlington High School, Joe worked at Cooper Tire before being drafted into the United States Army in 1968, where he served two years as a Military Police Officer and achieved the rank of Sergeant. On April 4, 1968, the very day he graduated from the Military Police Academy, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and Joe's unit was immediately dispatched to Washington, D.C., to help protect the Capitol.
After his service, Joe earned a bachelor's degree from Bluffton College and a master's degree from the University of Dayton. He dedicated the next 30 years to Arlington Local Schools, teaching health, physical education and building one of the most decorated football coaching careers in Blanchard Valley Conference history.
As head football coach of the Arlington Red Devils, Joe compiled five BVC championships, including co-championship seasons and undefeated 10-0 campaigns in 1976, 1979 and 1987. His 1976 and 1979 teams were named UPI State Champions. He recorded his 100th victory in 1987, and in 2002, guided the program to its 500th all-time win. His teams were the winningest in the BVC throughout the 1980s. He was named Northwest District Coach of the Year twice and honored four times as the BVC's top coach. In addition to football, Joe coached track and field, girls junior and high school basketball. He also helped establish Arlington's Little Devils youth football program, the first among BVC schools and one that continues to this day.
In 1992, Joe was inducted into the Hancock County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019, he and the 1979 Arlington football team were inducted together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their UPI state championship season. In the final year of his life, Joe received what his family called the honor of his lifetime: Arlington Local Schools named and dedicated its new athletic complex, Joe Metzger Stadium, in August 2026.
Following his retirement from teaching in 2003, Joe worked as a crop and agriculture adjuster for NAU Insurance, a role that kept him connected to the farming community he loved. He and his brother Terry co-founded Metzger Brothers Farm in 1979, a purebred Suffolk sheep and agricultural operation that continues today, carried on by family members Ryan, Luke, Drew, and Zac Metzger.
Joe cherished time with his wife, family, and lifelong friends. He was an avid pheasant hunter, enjoyed annual trips to Iowa and South Dakota, and loved card nights and weekly dinners with his closest companions. He and Cindy traveled extensively, including trips to Europe and Alaska. In recent winters, he split time between Florida and Raleigh, where he delighted in visits with his grandchildren.
Joe Metzger was a devoted husband, a proud father and grandfather, a decorated coach, a dedicated public servant, and a man of deep integrity who will be missed by family and community.