Chris McLachlin spent only one year as a student-athlete at Punahou School, but it made such an impression on him, he has spent the past 37 years giving back to the Buffanblu.

McLachlin — a seemingly permanent fixture in Punahou athletics as a coach, administrator, counselor, teacher and mentor — officially retired Friday, leaving behind four decades' worth of championships, proteges and memories.

He leaves a huge void at Punahou.

"Chris has been a champion of all sports," said Dr. Jim Scott, the school president.

"The two things that stood out about Chris as an individual were his coaching and his counseling.

"He is a great communicator with kids and adults. He loves being around kids, and he's been a coach of coaches."

Some of those "kids" included presidential candidate Barack Obama, who played on McLachlin's state championship basketball team in 1978-79, and University of Texas co-defensive coordinator Duane Akina, who played on McLachlin's team that won the state hoops title in 1974-75.

Many members of Punahou's current staff — including assistant athletic director Scott Metcalf, girls basketball coach Mike Taylor, boys basketball coach Dan Hale, girls volleyball coach Jim Iams — played their high school ball under McLachlin.

He guided the boys volleyball program to 11 state championships and the boys basketball team to three state titles. And though he stepped down from being a head coach in the mid-1990s, he stayed directly involved as a consultant for about six or seven teams per season (fall, winter, spring), assisting with team-building and sports psychology.

"I realized a while ago that there's gotta be more to sports than the physical skills, there's got to be something between the ears," said McLachlin, 61, who also taught a sports psychology class at Punahou. "I just try to give the teams some coping tools, things that will help them become mentally tough."

Baseball coach Eric Kadooka, for example, has given his team days off from practicing on the field during the season to spend in the classroom with McLachlin. The Buffanblu have won four straight state championships.

MEMORABLE YEAR

Surprisingly, considering the fixture he has become at Punahou, McLachlin spent only his senior year there after transferring from Newport Harbor High School in Southern California.

But during that year, he was a basketball teammate of some of Hawai'i's greatest athletes of the 1960s: Charlie Wedemeyer, Norm Chow, Pal Eldredge.

McLachlin said Punahou's academic training made an even bigger impression on him.

"I think I learned more in one year here than I did in three years at a very good public school in California," McLachlin said. "I could see it was something special when I went to Stanford. I was grateful for the coping skills I got from Punahou, and I wanted to give back to the place that gave me so much."

After a year of graduate school at Stanford, McLachlin returned to Punahou as a fourth grade math teacher and began coaching volleyball and basketball.

Through the years, he switched teaching duties from elementary school math, to P.E., to English, to economics, to sports psychology. He also served as P.E. department chair and co-athletic director.

"I've had eight different jobs but only one employer," McLachlin said.

WHERE THE HEART IS

Even during the eight years as Punahou's co-athletic director, McLachlin still kept his hand in coaching in different ways.

He stayed on as the boys basketball coach for several years and became involved in youth sports as his three children, Parker, Bekka and Spencer, each was developing as a standout athlete in their own right.

Parker was a volleyball and golf standout at Punahou, then played golf at UCLA and now is a rookie on the PGA Tour. Bekka played volleyball for Punahou and Salt Lake (Utah) Community College, and Spencer just completed an All-State volleyball and basketball career at Punahou and is headed to Stanford on a full volleyball scholarship.

In 1998, McLachlin stepped down from the co-athletic director position and returned to the classroom as a teacher.

"That's really where my heart is," he said.

PUNAHOU'S AMBASSADOR

McLachlin's contributions have not been limited to Punahou.

As the TV color commentator for University of Hawai'i men's and women's volleyball for the past 23 years, he has been a visible representative of the Buffanblu community. The image has always been positive, in the same way his teams reflected his ideals of sportsmanship and humility.

"He's a fan of athletics, whether it's a public school or private school," Scott said. "Our message has been that Punahou is a private school with a public purpose, and that really resonates with him. It's nothing new to him, because he knows what it means to represent the school."

A couple years ago, McKinley boys and girls basketball coach Bob Morikuni asked McLachlin for some advice.

"I didn't even know him, but he invited me to his house and gave me tips, books to read, advice on leadership and team-building," Morikuni said. "He helped me tremendously on how to be a better coach."

McKinley won the Division II boys basketball state championship this past season.

McLachlin also has helped with volleyball clinics at Kahuku and said "service projects" are a big part of his retirement plans, which include watching Parker and Spencer play on the Mainland.

And, of course, he will never leave Punahou completely.

"It's bitterwseet," said McLachlin, sitting on his old "senior bench" Friday after his last day of school. "I'll probably be disoriented in August (when school starts). But I've got more than enough to do ...

"I'll still be around."

Reach Wes Nakama at wnakama@honoluluadvertiser.com.