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Summary

Lifelong Railroader Dan McLane steps down as Brunswick boys hoops coach By John Cannon from The Frederick News-Post, August 7, 2021

In Photo: Dan McLane, shown coaching Brunswick's boys basketball team in the 2013 Class 1A state semifinals against New Town at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center, stepped down after 17 years at the helm. "He did so many things that can't be measured in wins and losses for kids at Brunswick," said Jon Jarrett, Brunswick's athletic director.

Dan McLane’s connection to Brunswick High School boys basketball began long before he became the team’s varsity head coach in 2004. When McLane was a first-grader, his older brother played for the Railroaders, and McLane himself played for Brunswick when it won the 1977 Class 1A (then Class C) state title. He then contributed to the program as a coach, starting at the eighth grade level in 1986-87 and later serving as a volunteer bench coach and JV coach. “I grew up there, I played there,” McLane said. “Brunswick basketball’s been a part of my life since I was a first-grader, so it’s a hard thing to give up.” Nonetheless, he felt it was time to do that very thing. McLane recently stepped down as Brunswick’s head coach, ending a 17-year tenure at the helm that saw him guide the Railroaders to a regional title in 2013 and forge countless relationships that will likely last for years to come. “I’ve been wearing down for the last couple of years,” McLane said. “I got through 35 seasons, and I think it’s time maybe for the next chapter of my life, whatever that is. I don’t know what it is.” McLane’s final season was short, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, which robbed the Railroaders of some games in what was already an abbreviated 2021 season. “We got two games in because we had a false positive. And this year, again, still we don’t know what’s going to happen,” McLane said. “And I felt that maybe it is time for a different voice.” Brunswick athletic director Jon Jarrett said the school is still advertising for a new head coach. “It’s definitely huge shoes to fill, and we’re definitely grateful for all the time he put into coaching the Brunswick basketball program,” said Jarrett, who called McLane by his nickname, “Duck.” “You’re talking probably 40 years or more that he’s been a part of the program.” McLane figured he joined Brunswick’s high school program as a volunteer bench coach under head coach Jim Sklencar during the early 1990s. McLane appreciated how Sklencar helped him land spots in the program even though McLane wasn’t a teacher. One such job opened up in the late 1990s, when McLane was working for AT&T. “Jim said, ‘Hey, the [JV coaching job is] opening up, you think you could take it?’” McLane said. “I was able to finagle it, and here we are now.” Under McLane, the Railroaders made their deepest playoff run in 2013, when they reached the Class 1A state semifinals, where they lost 52-44 to New Town at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center. “The group in 2013, that was great,” McLane said. “We were able to get back at Allegany, and we beat them by 25 [in the regional final]. They played so well together.” The revenge McLane mentioned referred to how the Campers knocked off a talented Brunswick team 77-56 in the the 2009 Class 1A West regional championship game in front of a raucous crowd at Frederick Community College. McLane thought that 2009 team was his best. The Railroaders went 19-6, including 10-0 in the Monocacy Valley Athletic League Antietam Division, and McLane still vividly remembers how they gutted out a 56-53 win over Poolesville in the regional semifinals. “Our gym was packed and it went down to the wire,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been a part of a better high school basketball game than that.” McLane told a lot of former players, via text message, that he was stepping down. “I’m going to miss all the guys, the camaraderie of being part of the team,” McLane aid. “Especially at the varsity level, you build relationships that a lot of times, they’re lifelong. I’ve heard from so many guys over the last few days because [the news] really just came out.” Aside from keeping in touch with players who move on, McLane appreciated those who remained with the program year after year. “I look back at all the people who have helped run our program over all these years, I’ve had so many who have been loyal to me, whether they’re coaches or statisticians or whatever,” he said. “People who have done the clock and the book, all these things, I’m going to miss because you build relationships with them, too.” McLane will also miss the competitive aspect of the job. Like most — if not all — coaches, he seemed to enjoy practices even more than games. “The community and kids and everyone really enjoyed being around Duck,” Jarrett said. “He worked real hard. He did so many things that can’t be measured in wins and losses for kids at Brunswick.”