On any given night, you might see Kevin Egan watching a football game at Corner Canyon High, a baseball game at Cyprus

High or a variety of sporting events at Jordan High. You could also see him supporting high school teams at West Jordan, Kearns, Hillcrest, or other schools.

Egan’s support of a wide range of high school teams factored into him being named a “Super Fan” by the Utah High School Activities Association. Fittingly, the retired Jordan High math teacher and football/baseball coach received a plaque and was recognized during halftime of the Beetdiggers’ quarterfinal girls basketball game Monday, Feb. 28, 2022 at the Huntsman Center at the University of Utah. 

“It was really nice,” he said.

Egan doesn’t consider himself a “Super Fan,” by the way. The honor isn’t going to his head. He won’t start wearing a cape to games.

He simply considers himself a loyal friend.

Those schools have something in common. Egan is friends with at least one of their coaches and/or administrators. Egan keeps friendships formed over a 31-year coaching and teaching career — the final 26 at Jordan — and memories of his days as a high school athlete alive by supporting his friends’ teams.

Corner Canyon football coach Eric Kjar coached with him at Jordan, so Egan’s a fan of the Chargers. West Jordan principal Jim Birch coached with him at Jordan High and football coach Ron Halbert went to college with him at Southern Utah, so he’s a fan of the Jaguars. Cyprus baseball coach Bob Fratto played against him in high school, and they became friendly rivals, so he’s supported the Pirates for decades.

And so on.

“I just go to watch my fellow coaches,” Egan said. “That’s my claim to fame.”

Those friendships are why he recently moved back to the area (Murray) after going south to Mesquite for a couple of years following his retirement. It’s also why he rarely took days off as a teacher and coach (clinics and tournaments being the exceptions). If he’d asked for time off, Egan says he would’ve just come back to school later in the day to be with his friends.

Egan played football and baseball at Kearns High, and then spent 31 years teaching and coaching in the Granite, Jordan, and Canyons districts. He coached both sides of the line and special teams in football at Jordan and was the Beetdiggers’ baseball skipper for a dozen years.

Beating and eliminating perennial baseball powerhouse Taylorsville in the playoffs — interrupting the Warriors’ string of championships — remains a cherished coaching highlight after 20 years. He’s also quite proud of the football titles Jordan won in 1994 and 2012.

Looking back, Egan credits two late friends from Kearns High for helping him carve out his successful career in coaching and teaching. Mr. Walker taught him math in high school and then continued to tutor him in college.

“He never gave up on me. He would always help me. He was quite a guy.” Coach Takeno gave him his first coaching gig as a student teacher at Kearns and then hired him at Hillcrest before Egan moved on to Oquirrh Middle and then Jordan High, where he planted his roots.

They saw something special in Egan 40 years before his loyalty, drive and love for sports and teaching led to him being named one of six Super Fans in the state this year. 

“I’m not going to say I’m a ‘Super Fan.’ I’m just going to say I hung out long enough to get an award,” Egan said. “It was just part of the career — an award for a career.”