A lot of us remember our favorite teaches from elementary and middle school but it’s our high school teachers that tend to make the biggest impacts on our lives. Anyone who has been lucky enough to grace the halls of Loy Norrix High School between 1969 and 2025 have run into this man. Ted Duckett’s name became synonymous with Loy Norrix over the years and anyone in Kalamazoo would tell you that.
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For some people, the wisdom from Coach Duckett was unavoidable because they knew him personally outside of school, he knew their family personally, or you were an athlete that he crossed paths with more than once. For many people like me, Coach Duckett has taught or coached multiple generations of their family over the decades.
I think most people will tell you that they don’t remember a time at Loy Norrix without Coach Duckett roaming the halls. He spent years helping athletes find success on the football field, the track, and many other sports forums while also sending two sons to play in the NFL, the most notable being TJ Duckett.
Do You Have A Ted/Coach Duckett Story?
During the first week of January, the city of Kalamazoo was shaken when they received the news that Ted “Coach” Duckett has passed away. Eventually we learned that he suffered a heart attack and was unable to keep fighting for his life. Immediately, there was a huge outpour of love and gratitude for Duckett as people began to learn the news.
Many people sharing how he would always be sharing valuable life lessons with them every time he saw them, the memories they had with him as a coach, the smile he kept on his face, and the overall loving spirit he had. This is truly one of those deaths that shakes an entire community as almost everyone knew or had a connection to Ted Duckett…