After 29 years of teaching at Palo Alto High School, Physical Education teacher Peter Diepenbrock is ready to retire.
His lengthy career included coaching the Paly boys varsity basketball team for 15 non-consecutive seasons, leading them to the California State Division II Championship and earning him the title of California High School Sports State Coach of the Year in 2006.
Though he retired from coaching in 2018, he has continued to teach PE, encouraging and motivating students with his passion for educating.
Diepenbrock said he was drawn to coaching because of his own experience playing basketball from his childhood through college.
“I definitely decided very early on that I wanted to coach basketball,” Diepenbrock said. “Then it was just a matter of figuring out where. Palo Alto High School is a great school, so when they had an opening [for a coaching position], I was very excited.”
Among the many students Diepenbrock has influenced over the years is former NBA player and Palo Alto High School graduate Jeremy Lin, who said Diepenbrock’s impact on him extended far beyond basketball.
“Diep [Diepenbrock] to me was never just a coach,” Lin said in an audio message sent to The Paly Voice. “He’s really become a lifelong mentor to me, and he’s taught me and given me advice, and talked about things so far beyond basketball.”
According to Lin, Diepenbrock was the first person to make him consider playing basketball at the college level.
“After my sophomore season, he sat me down and said, ‘Are you thinking about college basketball?’ and I said, ‘No, I never thought about it.’” Lin said. “He’s like, ‘I need you to start thinking about that, that’s a real possibility.’ So he planted that seed.”
Lin said Diepenbrock continued supporting him long after high school, showing up throughout his whole basketball journey.
“He helped me through the recruiting process,” Lin said. “Even after that, when I would have Harvard games, he would show up, he would make T-shirts, he would get a whole fan section to show up. When I made it to the NBA, he would come to my games, he would travel, he would bring his family.”
While Diepenbrock said there is no single moment that stands out from his years of teaching, he said the students he has worked with are what he remembers most.
“The No. 1 thing that I think about … is the number of unbelievable students that I’ve had over the years,” Diepenbrock said. “I’ll be sitting there in class and just going ‘Boy am I lucky to have this kid.’ I’ve had that experience so many times where I’m really blown away by the abilities.”
“I started that program, the Emily Benatar Award, because other subjects at school always have awards at the end of the year,” Diepenbrock said. “And I’m like, ‘Why doesn’t PE?’ You can just tell so much about a person’s character by how they do in PE, and so we [the PE department] started that.”
Diepenbrock also emphasized his admiration for the educators he has worked with throughout his career.
“I have the utmost respect for all of my fellow teachers,” Diepenbrock said. “You can definitely say that you’re not driven by money [if you become a teacher]. It says a lot about people who choose to be teachers as far as the type of people they are.”
Sophomore Eileen Lee, one of Diepenbrock’s former students, said he made sure the class setting was welcoming.
“What was most memorable about his classes was how he challenged us to push ourselves while creating an encouraging environment for students,” Lee said. “I really respect that he could do this since it is a difficult thing to do.”
According to Diepenbrock, building positive relationships with students starts with treating them fairly and creating a structured environment.
“If you give them [students] structure, you give them respect and you’re fair with them, you’ll have very positive relationships and positive experiences,” Diepenbrock said. “I really like getting to know the kids, talking with the kids and having fun with the kids. It’s such a natural thing to me.”
Linden Wang, a former student of Diepenbrock, said Diepenbrock stood out as a teacher who was able to manage both professional responsibilities and connection with students.
“One thing that sets Mr. Diepenbrock apart from other teachers was his ability to balance being strict and fun,” Wang said. “Mr. Diepenbrock was exceptional at this, making sure we all completed the required activities but also enjoyed the class … while creating a competitive, respectful environment for everyone.”
According to Lee, Diepenbrock reminded students to be mindful of their limits and encouraged them to be open with him.
“I remember I was struggling to get through a mile run because of a concussion I didn’t tell him about,” Lee said. “Later, he was pushing me to run faster until he found out I was injured. He told me that I should always tell him how I’m feeling physically, since that is also important to the class. That really stuck with me.”
According to Lin, Diepenbrock would often have one-on-one talks with players, and one of the lessons that stayed with him most came from a conversation after a tournament.
“He told me that one of my elite abilities was that it didn’t matter what needed to be done, I would find a way to win,” Lin said. “I didn’t know that about myself … and he instilled that belief into me. I always believed that because he saw that inside of me, not because I saw it in myself. I carried that with me, through my career, in many different ways all the way till the final day that I stopped playing basketball.”
One memory that stands out to Lin came after what he described as the worst game of his NBA career, when Diepenbrock offered support in a simple but meaningful way.
“All he said was ‘I love you.’ He knew what I needed to hear at that moment,” Lin said. “He wasn’t trying to coach or help me get better; he just wanted to let me know that it didn’t matter how good or bad I played, he was always going to be in my corner.”
Lin said Diepenbrock’s values and qualities were what made him such an impactful coach.
“Diep is a master communicator, a master teacher and leader,” Lin said. “He has strong convictions because he’s watched more films and learned more about the game than any other player that he has, and any other coach that he’s going to coach against. … He’s always humble enough to learn and always trying to get better. That growth mindset is what makes him amazing.”
