Kenneth “Ken” Roth, a towering figure in New Glarus athletics whose life spanned nearly every era of the town’s sports history — as a four-sport athlete, coach, and mentor — died recently. He was 88.

A 1955 graduate of New Glarus High School, Roth was known as much for his calm leadership as for his competitive spirit. He was a fixture on the football field as a quarterback on the Glarner Knights roster, and he played four sports — football, basketball, baseball and volleyball — every year of high school. The Swiss-German name “Roth” means “red,” a fitting moniker for an athlete who played with passion and fire.