Local celebrity Josh Porter, better known as “Coach Josh,” has played a role in many D99 students’ childhoods. Any kid in the Downers Grove area remembers their favorite coach and DJ. Porter would often host elementary school ice cream socials and end-ofyear bashes. Parties with Coach Josh always meant dancing, laughing, and hula-hooping. Josh Porter loves his job; not because of the DJ-ing or the sports, but because of his impact on the community.
Porter was inspired to work with kids because of his mother, who was a life-long nanny. Interacting with Coach Josh when you’re a kid is special, he’s an adult who gets you and is much closer to a friend than a supervisor. He is charming and hilarious, as you will never see him around town without a smile.
Porter’s passion for entertainment developed in 2003 when he graduated from college as a member of the dance team. His love for performing inspired him to pursue a dance career, so when a friend contacted him with an opportunity to dance for an entertainment company, he jumped at the chance. There he learned how to MC and DJ. In addition to DJing, Porter is a part of All-Star Sports, a youth sports company that works with the Downers Grove park district. Porter met the owner, Derek Smith, in 2001 after he sold Smith two carts of basketballs in a Kmart. The two began to discuss sports and Smith told him about his company, and Porter was sold immediately. After joining All Stars sports, Coach Josh created a full-circle moment for DG high schoolers. The same little kids who learned how to hit a baseball with Coach Josh now get to teach other kids by working for All Stars and Porter.
“Coach Josh was a DJ for a lot of my school events as a kid. It is super interesting to see him work with kids now because he is still the same Coach Josh I knew in elementary school. I have loved being a coach at All Stars,” senior Stephanie Polihronidis said.
Porter’s favorite part of the job is the connections and relationships he makes. His biggest concern isn’t pay checks or booking gigs, but instead, it’s forgetting the name of a kid who runs over to say hello.
“I love the feeling when a kid comes up to me, I feel even better when I remember who that kid is as well. I truly feel embarrassed when I can’t remember someone who’s been in my classes,” Porter said.
Coach Josh has left an imprint in the community, one where kids are inspired to play sports, pursue music, and be themselves. His difference is noticeable. Kids who knew him in elementary school still remember him after graduating.
“Every once in a while a parent or kid will come up and say how the class helped them love sports. And that feels incredible,” Porter said
