Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Teachers who are also athletes and/or coaches.

MN Governor Tim Walz becomes Kamala Harris’s running mate

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Many successful politicians can boast a prior career as outstanding educators and athletic coaches. One of these is current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a former teacher and athletic coach. He has been selected to be the Vice Presidential running mate for Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

Former teacher and athletic coach Tim Walz of Minnesota has been named the running mate of the Democratic candidate for President, Kamala Harris. Photo credit: NBC News

Tim was born on April 6, 1964, in West Point, Nebraska. His father was a teacher and school superintendent, and his mother was a homemaker. During his childhood, Tim was raised in Valentine, Nebraska, and then the family moved to Butte, Nebraska. Before his graduation from Butte High School in 1982, he was involved in his school’s football, basketball, and track programs.

Tim earned his Bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Chadron State University in 1989. He earned his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Minnesota State University at Mankato in 2001. His master’s thesis was a treatment of Holocaust education.

Through World Teach, inaugurated his career as an educator when he accepted a one-year position to teach in Guangdong, China. Upon his return, he moved to Alliance, Nebraska, where he worked as a teacher and athletic coach. There he met and married fellow teacher Gwen Whipple. The couple then relocated to the city of Mankato in Minnesota, Gwen’s home state. In Minnesota, Tim became a global studies and geography teacher and an Assistant Football Coach at Mankato West High School. The team had lost 27 games in a row before he joined the coaching staff as a Defensive Co-ordinator. Three years later, in 1999, the team won its first state championship. During these years he also served as the faculty advisor for the school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance. In addition, Tim and Gwen organized summer educational trips to China for high school students through Educational Travel Adventures. Read more about his work in public schools through this article published by NPR.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been named the running mate for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Photo credit: Britannica

In addition to his work as an educator and coach, Tim is a US military veteran. He enlisted in the Army National Guard when he was only 17 years old. While there, he trained in heavy artillery, and worked in disaster response following floods and tornadoes. He was also deployed overseas. Tim retired from the National Guard in 2005, but during the 24 years he served, he was named the Nebraska Citizen-Soldier of the year in 1989, and he earned the Army Commendation Medal and two Army Achievement Medals.

In 2006, Tim was elected to the US House of Representatives on the Democratic Farmer Labor Party ticket. He represented Minnesota’s First District from 2007 to 2019. There he worked diligently on issues related to veterans affairs, education, agriculture, infrastructure, and health care. In 2019, Tim was elected the 41st governor of Minnesota, a position which he holds today. As governor, Tim Walz has worked towards police reform, reproductive freedom, workers’ rights, gun control reform, LGBTQ rights, and the legalization of recreational cannabis. In addition, he continues to work on health care reform.

 

Dick Ault: PE teacher and Olympic competitor

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There are many examples of fine educators who have distinguished themselves in the world of sports. Such is the case with Dick Ault, a high school physical education teacher who competed in the 1948 Olympics.

Richard “Dick” Francis Ault was born on December 10, 1925, in the city of St. Louis, Missouri, the son of the Herbert and Madeline (Dowling) Ault. After his graduation from Roosevelt High School in his home town, Dick attended the University of Missouri from 1946 to 1949. While there, he won the Big 6 title in the 220-yard low hurdles in both 1946 and 1947. In the seasons that followed, he garnered the Big 7 title in the same event in 1948 and 1949. He was also named the conference champion in the 440-yard dash in 1947 and 1949. In 1948, Dick competed in the London Olympic Games, finishing 4th in the 400-meter dash. In 1949, the former Olympic athlete competed in Oslo, Norway, where tied the world record in the 440-yard dash.

In 1950, Dick accepted a position as a teacher and coach at Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Illinois. While there, he led his cross country students to the state championship. In 1967, Dick was hired to be a physical education professor at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. There he coached several sports, including cross country, track, swimming, and golf. After a career spanning 29 years, he retired in 1996.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away from complications from diabetes at the age of 81 on July 16, 2007, in Jefferson City, Cole County, Missouri. For his outstanding achievements, Dick has earned many honors. He was inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame (1976), the University of Missouri Hall of Fame (1991), the Missouri State Sports Hall of Fame (1993), and the National Sports Hall Of Fame in Washington, DC (1999).

To read more about this amazing educator and athlete, click on this link: Dick Ault Obituary.

Swim coach Steve Marsing inducted into the 2023 Utah Sports Hall of Fame

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Athletic Director and Swim Coach Steve Marsing was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame in 2023. Photo Credit: Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation

If you are a resident of Utah and you are interested in high school swim sports, you have probably heard of Coach Steve Marsing. Only a handful of the state can boast the success of this outstanding coach, who was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame (USHF) in 2023.

In a career that spans 33 years, Steve worked 10 years at Skyline High School, 15 years at Hunter High School, and 8 years in the Wasatch School District. At both Hunter and Wasatch High Schools he served stints as the Athletic Director. During the course of his lengthy career, Steve led his teams to win four state men’s swimming championships, on women’s swimming title, ten state men’s and women’s water polo championships, 21 women’s regional titles, and 17 men’s regional titles.

But Steve doesn’t take all the credit for these wins. “It’s the kids that make this all possible,” he declares. “For me—for any coach—you have to just be a good example. If you’re doing things right and setting a good example for these young people, they will do anything for you,” he continues. “The more you show them that you care, the more they will give back,”  he concludes.

In addition to his induction into the USHF, Steve has earned numerous other accolades. In 1999, he was named the National Women’s Swim Coach of the Year. That same year he was named the Section 7 Men’s Swim Coach of the Year, and he earned that honor again in 2011. That year he was also recognized as the UHSAA Men’s Coach of the Year. In 2012, he earned the NISCA Outstanding Service Award. He has been honored as the USCA Coach of the Year no less than 12 times. As Athletic Director, Steve received the 2008 UIAAA State Award of Merit.

Steve earned his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from the University of Utah in 1975. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Brigham Young University in 1987, and an Administrative Credential from the University of Utah in 2008.

 

Pennsylvania coach Sue Butz-Stavin inducted into the 2023 National High School Hall of Fame

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Field hockey coach Sue Butz-Stavin of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, was inducted into the 2023 National High School Hall of Fame. Photo Credit: Lehigh Valley News

I always enjoy sharing the story of an outstanding high school athletic coach. One of these is Sue Butz-Stavin, an exceptional field hockey coach from Emmaus, Pennsylvania. In 2023, she was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame.

Sue holds the record for most wins for a field hockey coach in the history of the sport in Pennsylvania. Nationally, she is at the top of the list by nearly 200 victories. In her 47-year career at Emmaus High School, Sue has compiled an impressive record of 1041-83-35. That record includes a 69-game winning streak in 2023. According to the NFHS National High School Sports Record Book, her nearest competitor has 839 victories.

Sue’s field hockey teams have made 37 appearances in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) State Championship. There they have won 14 titles, in addition to two runner-up finishes and nine final four appearances. Her teams have won a total of 40 district titles, including 34 in a row.

As the daughter of a physical education teacher, Sue remembers that as a child she was always taken along to sporting events. She joined the first field hockey program at her alma mater during her junior year in 1969, and she began coaching while teaching abroad in Australia. She was hired to coach at Emmaus  in 1976, 16 years after the founding of the school’s field hockey program.

For her work as a high school athletic coach, Sue has been inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. She has garnered with numerous state and national Coach of the Year titles. In 2021, she was named the PIAA Field Hockey Coach of the Year. Her teams at Emmaus have been ranked No. 1 in the nation on four different occasions. Over the years, many of her players have played field hockey at the NCAA Division I level. And her athletic program has even been featured on TV’s The Today Show and ESPN.

The National High School Hall of Fame was founded in 1982 by the National Federation of State High School Associations in an effort to honor high school athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, and others. The Hall of Fame was organized as a means of recognizing, preserving, and promoting the heritage of interscholastic sports in the United States.

To read more about Sue Butz-Stvin, click on this link to Lehigh Valley News.

CO science teacher and golf coach Colin Prater to play in US Open Championship

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High school science teacher and talented golfer Colin Prater of Colorado will be playing int he US Open Championship this week. Photo Credit: Linked In

Many talented teachers earn notoriety for accomplishments in fields other than education. One of these is Colin Prater, a high school science teacher from Colorado who has qualified to play in the US Open Championship this week.

Colin teaches science at Cheyenne Mountain High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He has instructed courses in biology, anatomy, environmental science, physics, chemistry, and sports medicine. He also coaches the boys and girls golf teams at his school.

This week, Colin will be playing in the 124th US Open Championship at Pinehurst Resort & County Cub. The teacher successfully navigated the qualifying rounds, including a 3-under-par 141 at the Pronghorn Resort in Bend, Oregon on June 3 to earn the second of the two available spots. Then, he competed against a field of 44 potential competitors at the 36-hole final qualifier. This week, he will be one of a total of 156 players who will meet at Pinehurst for the year’s third major championship. More than 10,000 tried out for a spot.

Since getting into the field, it’s been quite a whirlwind for the former NCAA Division II All-American who posted 14 victories while at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He appeared on “The Gravy & Sleaze” radio show on SiriusXM with two-time USGA champion Colt Knost and Colorado native Drew Stoltz, who also competed in the Four-Ball. Golf Digest and Golfchannel.com wrote profile pieces.

Colin earned a reputation as a talented amateur. He was a four-time Division II All-American when he was a student at University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. He won the Colorado amateur in 2016 and 2020. Since his graduation he has been named the Colorado Golf Association’s Player of the Year twice—in both 2020 and 2023. He has also garnered five CGA titles. In 2020, he became only the second player to win the Colorado Amateur (stroke play) and Colorado Match Play in the same year. And as if all that were not enough, he also garnered two Colorado Mid-Amateur titles. In fact, he could have chosen to pursue a career as a professional golfer, but decided her preferred a career in the classroom.

Occasionally, says Colin, he will make references to golf or other sports in his classroom. “But at the same time,” he hastens to add, “I want to give kids the opportunity to make their own connections. I think that’s the most important part: fostering their passions, their interests and giving them the freedom to do that,” he concludes.

Best of luck, Colin!