Barry Bokn, an award-winning longtime coach and athletic director at Willamette High School, is ready for a new challenge as general manager of the Springfield Drifters. Bokn’s first day on the job was Oct. 30 and he hit the ground running as he leads the West Coast League franchise into its fourth season at Hamlin Field in the summer of 2025.
“I think the Drifters are the best-kept secret in town,” Bokn said. “After people see the facility and learn about the league and how it gives college kids an opportunity to simulate minor-league ball in a wood-bat league, they love it. We are helping kids reach for the stars and giving them a jump-start on what they want to do. I have always been around kids since I started in education in 1985 so this is definitely in my wheelhouse to work with college kids. It will be a lot of fun.”
Bokn began his coaching career in 1982 as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Northwest Christian, which is now Bushnell University, which shares Hamlin Field with the Drifters and the Springfield School District. He was hired at Willamette in 1984 and coached boys basketball, football, boys golf, and girls tennis while serving as athletic director from 1989-2016.
Bokn was the head boys basketball coach at Willamette for 13 years and retired from the school in 2016. He went on to serve as an assistant boys basketball coach at Churchill High School under his brother, Kelly, for six seasons. “Including Kidsports, I had 40 years of coaching under my belt when I retired,” said Bokn, who also taught Business classes at Willamette. “That was a good time for me to say ‘I’ll chase the grandkids around and be grandpa in the stands’.”
After a couple years watching his three grandchildren in sports, Bokn decided to get back in the game with the Drifters. “I don’t think I’m completely over the hill yet,” Bokn joked. “This was a cool fit and something that sounded like a lot of fun.” Bokn was honored as 6A/5A/4A Athletic Director of the Year at Willamette in 2011 and inducted into the Oregon Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2019.
“We are thrilled to add Barry to our team,” said Ike Olsson, co-owner of the Drifters along with Kelly Richardson. “He built a strong legacy in athletics over four decades in this community and we can’t wait for him to bring that knowledge and experience to the Drifters. It was a home-run hire.”
Bokn sees his past duties at Willamette carrying over to the Drifters. “As GM, I will work with sponsors and advertisers, game-day operations and more,” he said. “That is what I have done for years, getting experience organizing teams and being creative to work with the staff.” Bokn spent the past couple years working part-time with a company that sells gym banners and lettermans jackets to keep in touch with his former cohorts who serve as athletic directors at high schools around the state. “This is an opportunity to put those skills together and work with the Drifters and our coaching staff,” he said. The Drifters will begin their fourth season at Hamlin in June as they look to fill the ballpark with a summer full of family fun. “We will be working on promotions and getting people to the ballpark,” Bokn said. “Once they see what is there, it is pretty easy to jump on board.”
