Dick Leavitt attended his last Pine Tree Conference coaches’ meeting Tuesday night, but he hopes it’s not his final farewell to the game he loves.

Leavitt, one of the longest-tenured and most respected coaches in the PTC, announced he is stepping down as Brunswick’s varsity football coach due to health reasons.

The Sabattus resident suffers from a painful degenerative spinal condition known as spinal stinosis, which limits his mobility. He has undergone two operations, in 1998 and 2002, to correct the problem, and the school has tried to assist him in different ways, such as providing a golf cart to shuttle him to and from the field at games and practices.

“Being on your feet all day teaching and then trying to get out to practice, with all of that pain, is just not real doable right now,” Leavitt said. “It’s tough to walk away from something I love because I put my heart into turning that program around.”

Leavitt, who also coached track at Brunswick for several years, spent three years as an assistant under Skip Capone at Lewiston High School before taking over a moribund Brunswick program in 1995. The Dragons slowly worked their way up the PTC standings, finally reaching the summit in 2003, when they went 10-2 and won their first league championship. They lost to Deering in the state final, but Leavitt earned Coach of the Year honors in the PTC. He also coached the East squad in this year’s Lobster Bowl.

This season, the Dragons went 6-3 and returned to the playoffs to defend their title but lost to Bangor in the quarterfinals.

“He started with a program that was kind of in disarray and did a great job,” said long-time Brunswick athletic director Richard Crawford. “We had some lean years, obviously, but he’s turned it around. Our numbers are up and we’ve started a youth program with his help that has given us a good feeder system.”

“I think we’re in a position now where hopefully whoever takes over is going to be in a position to be successful for a long time,” Leavitt said.

Brunswick will advertise for a replacement soon, Crawford said.

Leavitt, 50, hopes to return to coaching once his health improves. Regardless, he won’t be completely out of football next fall. His son, Robie, was a junior lineman for Oak Hill this past season and should be one of the top returning players in the PTC Class B, and Leavitt wouldn’t rule out doing some instruction or assistant coaching while he works to improve his condition.

“I can’t envision myself being out of football too long. My goal will be to get my health in such a condition that I can get back and be involved in the game of football,” Leavitt said. “It’s a very special game for me.”

Crawford said Leavitt’s value to his players went beyond the Xs and Os he taught them.

“He was able to teach some lifelong messages to the kids,” he said. “He taught commitment. He taught dedication. He taught citizenship, respect and hard work.”