Car Crash Kills Marvin Rea

Category: 2017-2018 High School
Written by Trevor Andershock

In tragic news, Gary's Marvin Rea was killed in a car wreck on I-65 Tuesday.

 

The Journal & Courier had a piece describing his time with Purdue before becoming the coach of Bowman Academy and eventually Gary Lighthouse.

 

Marvin Rea caught the attention of many casual fans with his retro sweaters. He would often wear 1950/1960's style lettermen sweaters while roaming the sidelines of Bowman Academy. It was an understated look, but his teams were ferocious. He took Bowman Academy from a start-up to the state title game four times in fives year. Those appearances came in three different classes. He stated at one time that he wanted to win a state title in each class.

 

Rea's time at Bowman Academy came to an abrupt end in January of 2015 with his termination of athletic director and head coach. He was looking to bounce back at Gary Lighthouse. He had bulked up the regular season schedule much like he did at Bowman. Around the state, it was expected that Rea would build Lighthouse into a strong program.

 

The Indiana high school basketball community will miss Marvin Rea.