North Cook News

Derril Kipp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of Maine, known for coaching the Maine West High School girls' basketball team with incredible success.

He enjoyed a much-touted coaching record of 788 wins with just 316 losses. He began coaching in 1981, and he ranks fifth in state history in wins by a high school girls' basketball coach. Kipp passed away on Tuesday, July 5, of pancreatic cancer.

Kipp's Maine West team set a state record that still holds up today, winning 65 straight games from 1987 through 1989. His best season was the 87-88 campaign, where he coached his team to a 35-0 unbeaten season and a AA state title. His teams also posted four other top-four finishes between 1985 and 1993.

Kipp was a well-respected coach who also served as a driver's education instructor and mentor throughout the school and community. Additionally, he coached a Special Olympics basketball clinic -- while ill with cancer -- to inspire others in the community to keep fighting.

"Coach Kipp's influence spanned decades and across thousands of students, athletes and colleagues," Maine West Principal Audrey Haugan told the Chicago Tribune. "In the classroom and on the court, students learned both academic and life lessons. The impact of this loss is widespread, and his status both in and out of the sport will be remembered for a lifetime. Maine West has been fortunate to have the legendary Kipp on our team for so many years."

A spirited memorial was held for him in the Maine West Gym at Des Plaines High School, where over 500 people celebrated his life. His legacy includes challenging his players to be their best, both on and off the court.

Aside from changing the entire culture at Maine West and revolutionizing the way high school women's basketball was viewed in the area, he also helped 80 of the players he coached earn college basketball scholarships. Kipp was elected into the prestigious Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2001.