You come across a lot of people when you report on sports for a living.

Head coaches and standout young athletes are at the forefront, of course, when dealing with high school and small college athletics.

But, sometimes, the behind the scenes people are most intriguing.

These folks are never the subject of the headlines, yet are vital parts of the operation of their respective organizations.

We lost two such individuals recently in Bill Tack and Linda Fennell.

Both made their mark in the same place for a long time — with little fanfare — not far from where they attended high school.

Tack was a Butler High School graduate who was an assistant football coach with the Golden Tornado for decades. His sons also attended Butler and he coached his boys as well.

Tack was part of a loyal group of Butler assistant football coaches who were honored by the Butler Football Hometown Hero organization in 2007. They were part of Art Bernardi’s staff through much of his successful run at Butler.

This guy could have become a high school head coach himself. Other assistants he worked with, including Mark Farabee and Tim Nunes, did eventually become head coaches at Butler.

Tack continued in his role as a primary assistant coach. Dedication like his seems to be a dying art these days.

Fennell graduated from Freeport High School and lived in Sarver all her life. She became a vital part of the operation of Lernerville Speedway and dirt track racing in general.

She published her own magazine — Motorsports World — which was popular in Western Pa. for years. She served as an official and scorer at 13 speedways in this region.

Most noticeble was her work at Lernerville. She served as office manager there from 2004 through 2012 and scored races at the Sarver oval for many years.

Lernerville recognized Linda’s contribution to racing there. She was inducted into the track’s Hall of Fame in 2014 and has received the Speedway’s Outstanding Achievement Award.

The staff at Lernerville is like a family. The employees are close-knit. Linda Fennell was at the heart of that.

She had a smile on her face for everyone who walked through those gates and knew a good many of them. Her passion and enthusiasm for the atmosphere of local dirt race tracks was always evident.

Bill Tack and Linda Fennell both died within the past 10 days.

The average local sports fan may never have known either.

Those involved closely with Butler High School and Lernerville Speedway knew them quite well.

Their selfless dedication to their respective sports — and to other people — should be admired.

And imitated, whenever possible.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle