MONTESANO–The Twin Harbors sports community saw the end of one of its greatest eras in prep football history as Montesano head coach Terry Jensen announced his retirement from the sidelines on Wednesday.

“I have resigned. I feel now is the right time and I wanted to make sure I was going out on my terms,” Jensen said in a statement to The Daily World. “There isn’t just one reason, but lots of little things, that, by themselves are tolerable, but put together it just adds up to being a good time for a change. I am confident the future of this program will be in good hands.”

Jensen’s departure leaves a huge void in not just the local football community but across the state as the legendary head coach resigns as one of just four coaches to surpass 300 wins in their coaching career, joining fellow legends in O’Dea’s Monte Kohler, Tumwater’s Sid Otton and Royal’s Wiley Allred in rarefied air.

“He’s a pretty awesome coach and a great person,” Allred said of Jensen. “It’s pretty evident with the way his kids played. He’s a really innovative mind and very difficult to coach against. He’s one of the best coaches in the state that I’ve ever coached against. His kids were always well-prepared and very respectful.”

Jensen started his head coaching career 41 years ago at Forks and spent 16 seasons at the helm of the Spartans’ ship. After starting 3-6 in his first year in 1985, Jensen ran off 15 consecutive winning seasons and led the Spartans to the state semifinals in 1987 and eight playoff appearances while compiling a 112-46 record.

Jensen also had his own beloved prep football television show while at Forks, ‘The Terry Jensen Show,’ that a Peninsula Daily News article from October 1990 stated, “And while the Nielsen ratings may not show it, Forks is watching Jensen.”

After stepping away from coaching for a year in 2001 and nearly landing the head gig in Port Angeles, Jensen took over the head coaching duties at Montesano in 2002 and – after going a combined 8-11 in his first two seasons – turned the Bulldogs into one of the finest, most consistent small-school football programs in the state.

Under Jensen’s tutelage, Montesano reached the state tournament every year from 2006-25 – sans the 2020 COVID year when a state tournament was not held – and reached the semifinal round eight times, most recently in 2024.

Jensen reached the pinnacle on Dec. 1, 2012 when he guided his Bulldogs to a 43-28 victory over Royal to win the 1A State Championship for his first and only state title.

It’s a game Allred remembers vividly and said it had an impact on how he ran his program moving forward.

“We can blame Coach Jensen for our recent success,” Allred said, referencing his team’s defeat to Monte in the state-title game, the last time perennial state-champion Royal has lost in the state tournament finale. “It was impactful. We felt like we had a really good team that could have won it, but (Jensen) exposes anything. If you are leaving anything to chance or any flaws in the system, he’ll expose it with the things he does offensively. Ultimately, it was a really good game. … No shame in losing to a Terry Jensen coached team.”

In Jensen’s 24 years at Montesano, he has won 215 games while losing just 60, making him just one of four coaches in the state’s history with more than 300 wins with an overall record of 327-106.

His retirement has reverberated across coaching circles locally and abroad.

“Been thinking about this for about a week,” said Aberdeen head football coach Todd Bridge, who has faced Jensen numerous time from across the sidelines. “He’s the hallmark of Grays Harbor coaches. There’s been some legendary coaches in our area from Elmer Huhta, Jack Swarthout and Al Ecklund, just to name a few. Many, many Hall of Fame coaches in the Twin Harbors, but none of them compare to what Terry’s done in his 24 years at Montesano. Consistency, standards and year-in and year-out producing a formidable product on the field. Those are what define Terry Jensen.”

Hoquiam head coach Jeremy McMillan, who has had many a memorable 1A Evergreen League battles against Jensen’s Bulldogs throughout his tenure, shared the sentiment that Jensen established a benchmark program.

“Terry Jensen built a football program in Montesano that set the standard for how the game should be taught and played. His foundation was fundamentals and technique, paired with elite preparation, clean execution and the kind of speed his teams consistently brought to the field,” McMillan said. “A tough competitor who did so much for the game, his teams were always in the playoff conversation year after year. It’s tough to see him step away, but I’m hoping retirement means he might finally share a few of those secrets with me and talk ball. So much love and respect for him.”

“Just congratulations on a heck of a career and the impact he’s had on the community of Montesano and the kids he’s coached,” Allred said. “I could tell how he approaches the game and the kids that a lot of care and love go into it.”

Montesano athletic director Pat Pace stated that for the first time in several decades, the school’s job board posted an open position for head football coach on Wednesday.