This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Mount Pleasant • The yellow fields dance with the autumn wind in the middle of nowhere. Large silver silos storing grain reflect the sunlight against the mountain tops, which are quickly changing from green to orange.
Signs warning drivers of passing cows, elk and deer pepper U.S. Highway 89, and after a hard left turn on the southbound lane, hides the small town of Milburn, an agricultural outgrowth of Fairview 15 minutes from Mount Pleasant.
It's a brisk September afternoon, yet Dave Peck adorns red athletic shorts with a sweater. "How 'bout that view?" he says in a distinct southern drawl as he points toward the picturesque backdrop, one of the main reasons he's visited the area for the majority of his life.
"My grandparents lived here. It's where we did all of our huntin' and fishin' and all the other things in the summertime," he explains. "We'd come down here, help 'em haul hay, you know, the whole bit."
Mounted on a nearby wooden totem is the skull of an animal he shot. Soon it will be the welcoming entrance to his new home. After building Bingham High into the flagship prep football program in the state of Utah, Peck is establishing a new foundation, trading the hustle of the city and a nationally-recognized program for five and a half acres of tranquility and the role of defensive coordinator at North Sanpete.
Full circle
The crunching sound of tires on rocks echoes in the air. Driving in a gold-and-white-colored truck, Peck stops momentarily, looking both ways at the intersection, before heading to work.
He passes through Sanpete County, an area resembling the old west, with antiquated gas stations and creameries and the Basin drive-in movie theatre, a one-screen attraction. Once he's into the open, Peck accelerates, cruising unimpeded to his destination.
"Down here, you never have to worry about traffic other than if they're herding cows or sheep down the road," he says. "That might hold us up for a little bit, but usually we can get through in a timely manner so we're not too late for our appointments."
Life is no longer hectic for one of the winningest coaches in state history. Peck retired after 15 seasons at Bingham following the 2014 season. He finished 154-47 with the Miners, including winning five state championships and 10 region titles.
He felt he'd accomplished everything at the high school level, so after 31 years of coaching in various capacities, he retired from the state education system and accepted a job at Universal Athletic to pursue opportunities in the college ranks. Assistant gigs out of state were available, but when nothing in Utah opened, Peck decided to plant his roots.
"Family means too much to me. I have six grandkids. We have four kids of our own. We was never going to move away," he says. "Right now, we have grandkids here about every other week. I heard, if you build it they'll come. We expect to have a lot of friends and family down here on a regular basis. … I'm totally OK. Things work like they're supposed to."
Rhett Bird, Peck's nephew, is a frequent visitor, and their relationship is what influenced Peck to bring his journey full circle. Hired at age 22, North Sanpete High was Peck's first head coaching job in 1984. He spent one season in Mount Pleasant before coaching Cyprus for five years.
Now, at the same age of 22, Bird is following in his uncle's footsteps in his first season as the coach of the Hawks.
"Last year was my first year coaching. I was the coach for the freshmen team, and we went 8-1. It gave me that spark," said Bird, who quarterbacked at the school from 2010-12.
Bird applied for the head coaching position for the experience, not really expecting to be hired because of his age, but once he got the phone call notifying him he'd been chosen to lead his alma mater, he immediately contacted Peck.
"He asked if I would be interested in helping. I go, 'You know what, Rhett, if you get the job, I'd be glad to help ya,' " Peck said. "I look at Rhett like he's one of my boys. It's been great being involved with him."
The relationship has worked to perfection. The Hawks are 2-1, with both wins against 4A opponents, and are ranked No. 2 in the 3A classification. What Bird lacks in experience, Peck makes up for.
"I wish I would have had me back when I was 22 years old. I look at my playbook and how I did practices, we should have won a state championship. I really didn't know what I was doing," Peck said.
Bird runs the offense and Peck handles the defense. Bird ultimately has the final call, but he's not wasting any opportunities to ask for advice, either.
"If I ever have a question, we always talk to each other," Bird says. "It's been really easy to get things up and running because he's already had that foundation built."
New adventure
Peck ventures into the wilderness nearly every morning these days. Strapped with his newly-acquired bow, a retirement gift, he's constantly tracking prized elk.
"I've been shootin' it," he said, admitting he's still learning. "I could have had some really good shots on some small bucks, but when you're looking at big bucks over there on the mountain, it's hard to go shoot a little one."
From crowded streets in South Jordan to waking up with "deer in the yard and wild turkeys," Peck, who has always been more country than city, is in his element.
Although he misses the people and the "excitement of game days at Bingham because it's more than a game, it's an event," Peck can finally breathe. "I always felt like there was something else that needed to be done," he says. Now the daily grind isn't exhausting.
"Moving down here, everything slowed down," he says. "It gives you time to reflect back on the days. At Bingham, what an amazing program we was able to build there. I remember from the beginning, that was our goal."
He doesn't know how long he'll continue to coach at North Sanpete. "Right now I'm enjoying it," he said, noting he'll evaluate how he feels at the end of the season. During practice, he's as energized as he was when he was a young 22-year-old in over his head and when he was arguably the most powerful figure in local prep athletics.
"The one thing I'll say, back then, the kids knew I cared about them. They would go to war with me," he said, reminiscing on his career. "I think people can see when you really care or when you're going through the motions. That's one thing I can say, I've always cared about the kids."
Peck's life has transformed in the past year, but to his core, he's a football coach — and that will never change.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Prep schedule
All games 7 p.m., except where indicated
Thursday
• Kearns at Hillcrest
Friday
• Alta at Orem
• American Fork at Maple Mountain
• American Leadership at South Summit
• Basic, Nev. at Box Elder
• Bingham at Copper Hills
• Bonneville at Ogden
• Bountiful at Woods Cross
• Box Elder at Highland
• Canyon View at Manti
• Cottonwood at West Jordan
• Delta at North Sanpete
• Desert Hills at Cedar
• Dixie at Pine View
• Duchesne at Monticello
• East at De La Salle (Calif.), 8:30 p.m.
• Emery at Carbon
• Fremont at Roy
• Granger at Hunter
• Juab at Richfield
• Juan Diego at Morgan
• Kanab at Rich, 4 p.m.
• Logan at Ben Lomond
• Milford at Parowan
• Millard at Summit Academy
• Mountain Crest at Jordan
• Murray at Skyline
• North Sevier at Enterprise
• North Summit at Gunnison
• Olympus at Cyprus
• Park City at Bear River
• Payson at Wasatch
• Pleasant Grove at Lehi
• Riverton at Lone Peak
• San Juan at Beaver
• Sky View at Clearfield
• Skyridge at Corner Canyon
• Snow Canyon at Hurricane
• South Sevier at Grand
• Spanish Fork at Springville
• Stansbury at Judge
• Taylorsville at Brighton
• Timpanogos at Mountain View
• Timpview at Provo
• Tooele at Ridgeline
• Uintah at Salem Hills
• Union at Grantsville
• Viewmont at Syracuse
• Wayne at Layton Christian, 4 p.m.
• Weber at Northridge
• West at Davis
• Westlake at Herriman