MARIEMONT, Ohio — The Mariemont community is dealing with a big loss as they say goodbye to legendary high school lacrosse coach Graham Harden.
Harden recently died after a long battle with ALS. On Sunday, students, friends and family celebrated his life and legacy.
Those who knew and loved Harden rang a bell in his honor at an emotional gathering of those who supported him on his journey fighting Lou Gehrig's Disease.
"He's just a tough fighter,” said coach Steve Peterson. “When I saw him on Tuesday, I gave him the game ball that the team had written, ‘We won this for you, Coach Harden.’"
Peterson believes Harden held on for his Mariemont lacrosse team.
"He was a very well-known lacrosse player, best lacrosse player in the country in '91 and on the defensive side of the ball," Peterson said.
We sat down with Coach Harden in 2017 as he was starting up his foundation G-Force to help children impacted from ALS and to help their families paying medical bills get money to send their kids to college.
“We go down one path or the other. We go down the path, self pity, or we can take some good, put some good into it,” Harden said in 2017.
Harden received his diagnosis back in 2016. His battle with ALS inspired a documentary. Mariemont City Schools said funeral arrangements for Harden will be announced on the G-Force Facebook page.
