Kevin Berklund has spent more than two decades showing up for Philomath’s student athletes — grabbing a sandwich on the run, heading back out the door and putting in the hours that most volunteers quietly do without recognition.
This past Friday, that commitment was formally honored when Berklund was inducted into the Philomath Legends Club during halftime of the Warriors’ boys basketball game against Stayton.
For Berklund, the motivation behind all those volunteer hours has never been complicated.
“It was a way to give back to my community and the kids,” he said. “When I started having kids, it was just easy to coach my kids and their group of kids.”
Legends Club Director Steve Bennett led the Feb. 20 recognition ceremony, presenting Berklund with an honor that dates back to the club’s founding in 2011. The organization was established to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to Philomath High School athletics through volunteering, financial support or other impactful efforts. Berklund becomes the 2026 inductee and joins a distinguished list of community supporters that now numbers more than two dozen members.
Berklund grew up in the Corvallis School District but has always been rooted in the Philomath community, a connection that runs deep across generations. His parents, Rod Berklund and Karen Bennett, were among the 64 students in Philomath High’s Class of 1961. Extended family ties to the school stretch from an aunt who graduated in 1955 to a second cousin set to graduate in 2029. His daughter, Lauren, is a 2019 PHS graduate and his son, Mitch, earned his diploma with the Class of 2025.
“There’s a lot of history there,” Berklund said.
That family legacy takes on added significance with this induction. Berklund is now the Legends Club’s first third-generation member, following his grandfather, Carl Bennett, who was inducted in 2014, and his uncle, Denny Bennett, honored in 2014 as well.
Berklund’s volunteer journey began in 2002 with T-ball and never really stopped. Over the span of 21 years, he coached at the coach-pitch level, youth baseball and softball, high school summer baseball, flag football and nine years of youth basketball. Along the way, he joined the PYAC board, where he served for nine years.
In 2016, Berklund joined the Philomath Booster Club’s board of directors and went on to serve eight years as its president. He will wrap up a decade of service with the booster club at the end of the current school year.
In that role, he can regularly be found working the concession stand at basketball, volleyball and football games, helping organize the annual booster club golf tournament, assisting with the high school baseball bottle and can drive, and presenting scholarships at the senior honors convocation.
Stepping back from leadership hasn’t come without some reflection on the challenges of keeping volunteer organizations running.
“A big problem we’ve had with the Booster Club is getting people involved, but we’ve got a great group and it’s easy for me to step away,” he said.
His message to anyone on the fence about getting involved is direct — don’t wait for someone else to step up.
“I think there’s a problem that people don’t want to get involved because they always think somebody else is going to do it,” Berklund said. “Don’t think somebody else is going to do it. You do it and then try to get other people involved.”
Balancing that level of commitment with everyday life requires more than personal motivation, and Berklund was quick to credit his wife, Jen.
“My wife is amazing because she’s allowed me to do this stuff,” he said. “It’s not easy and I think you have to have a spouse that’s OK with you showing up and grabbing a sandwich and heading back out the door.”
In the end, though, it comes back to the kids — and the moments that stick with a coach long after the season ends.
“When you can see a look in a kid’s face of something you’ve provided or helped them do, it’s just amazing,” Berklund said. “I’ve got kids that I coached 15 years ago that still call me coach and it’s pretty cool. A lot of them are in college and having kids and stuff and it’s fun.”
