A beloved high school coach and one of the founders of the Greenwave Hall of Fame died in his sleep Monday. No other information on the cause of death has been released. A fixture in Northern Nevada as a track coach for more than a quarter century, Paul Orong, 59, brought zeal to his coaching as he did assembling other like-minded individuals to begin the Greenwave Hall of Fame (GWOF) with its first induction in 2017. Orong coached the girls track team with Steve Heck, who guided the boys. During their time together, they produced two state championships, two state runners-up, three region championships and two regional runners-up as well as coaching numerous state champions. In addition to track, Orong coached at every level of Greenwave football and also coached in the Fallon Youth Football League. When Orong first arrive in Fallon in the 1990s, he was surprised to learn CCHS did not have a Hall of Fame. With the dedication of Orong and a number of former Fallon coaches, athletes and contributors from several generations, the GWOF welcomed its first class almost five years ago. “I still remember when I arrived in Fallon for the first time almost 20 years ago to help coach football and track,” Orong said. “One of the first things I noticed was the absence of a Hall of Fame to recognize outstanding individuals and teams who have contributed to this school’s deep history of success, both on and off the field. There have been several attempts to create a Hall of Fame to honor Fallon’s greatest but each time, it has failed.” Orong served as the GWOF’s first president. During his tenure as a track coach, Orong also worked with Olympian Aarik Wilson, who graduated from CCHS in 2001 as the state champion and record holder in the triple jump. Wilson then attended Indiana University in Bloomington. Wilson competed in track in both the long and triple jumps. The Fallon grad would later become the champion at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials triple jump, the 2008 U.S. National Indoor triple jump, he 2008 U.S. National Outdoor triple jump, the 2007 U.S. National Indoor triple jump and third at the 2007 National Indoor Championships in long jump. He qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Orong also established records as a student at Sonoma State University at Rohnert Park, Calif. The 4x400 meter relay team still holds the school record, which was set in 1984. Orong is in ninth place for long jump (1984) and eighth place for the triple jump (1984). Both Orong and Heck were also best known for running the annual CCCHS Track and Field Christmas tree fundraiser in the parking lot in front of Louie’s Home Center. Outside of coaching, Orong worked at Naval Air Station Fallon as a sports coordinator, Fallon Floors and the Churchill County School District. Orong is survived by his wife Randi and his three sons: Brendan, Kalaeb, and Kaydan. According to the family, a service will be conducted later. A GoFundMe page has been established to assist the family with medical and funeral expenses. The page can be found at (https://www.gofundme.com/f/paul-orong-memorial-fund?utm_campaign=p_cp%20share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer&fbclid=IwAR1U8U-dk3-tDnG1SdQJAnPTdTb6ZjQQc2fhkIgqu1sMnWXRa6bxy_2U92A).
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