In the Long Run

Rummy Macias coached the
Maverick Wrestling program for
38 years

One of our departmental interns recently asked if our softball coach, Lori Meyer, had been coaching here as long as Dean Bowyer.

The answer was "not quite," but it also got the wheels turning as to where Lori's time here fits in relative to longevity.

Meyer, a 1982 Upper Iowa grad who served as a graduate assistant coach with the MSU softball and volleyball teams for a couple of years prior to being selected to guide the Maverick Softball program in 1984-85, is in her 28th year as a head coach and enters this weekend with a career won-loss mark of 909-571-3.

Bowyer, who spent four years as the head coach of the baseball program at Minot State prior to coming on board here in 1976-77, built a 990-487-7 mark in 32 years with the Mavericks and was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2009.

Georgene Brock spent 33 years as MSU's Director of Women's Athletics from 1965 through 1998, but no female coach has been as tenured as long as Meyer. Women's golf coach Nick Campa currently is in his 21st year and Phil Rhoade coached women's swimming for 21 years. Mary Willerscheidt had a 19-year stint with the women's basketball program.

Not unlike Brock, C.P. Blakeslee, whose name adorns our football stadium, spent forty years in Mankato, serving as an administrator and coach from 1921-62.  Blakeslee, who was the school's AD from 1924-38, coached several sports, including football, basketball, golf, gymnastics track and baseball, but none longer than 27 years.

Including a 13-year period from 1970-83 as men's AD, Bob Otto had a 29-year run in Mankato.  He coached the football program for 17 years and the men's basketball program for one year.

Hall of Famer Paul Waldorf had two periods in which he coached men's tennis that totalled 27 years (1949-65 and 1966-77).

Earl "Bud" Myers, who worked at MSU from 1949-78, guided the men's track program for 23 years from 1949-1973, along with the men's cross country program from 1956-1978, a 23-year span.

Don Brose spent 30 years as head coach of the Maverick Men's Hockey program,  amassing a 536-335-79 record from 1969-2000.

Mark Schuck, the men's head track & field coach for 14 years, just completed his 33rd year as head coach of the men's cross country program.

Legendary Rummy Macias, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this summer, came to Mankato in 1950 to start the MSU wrestling program and 38 years later, following the 1987-88 season, he retired with a career record of 299-207-12.

So, the all-time coaching career years list goes like this: Macias (38 years), Schuck (33 years and still active), Bowyer (32 years), Brose (30 years), Meyer (28 and still active), Blakeslee (27), Waldorf (27), Myers (23), Rhoade (21), Campa (21) and Willerscheidt (19).

Some amazing names mentioned there.  People with buildings named after them and people in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame. A MSU Athletics Mount Rushmore, if you will.

While we're not sure that Schuck will surpass Macias, it's likely that Meyer and Campa will to continue to move up the list.

It's great to be a Maverick!