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Longtime Augsburg assistant coach Darrell Wiese to retire
Wiese has spent nearly his entire life as an important fixture in Augsburg athletics. He attended Augsburg from 1956-59 and was a member of the 1959 Augsburg baseball team that tied St. Thomas and St. Mary's for the MIAC baseball title. He also served the college as an assistant athletic recruiter and was a football assistant coach for more than a decade, and was a volunteer assistant in Augsburg's athletic programs for many years. A Northfield, Minn., resident, Wiese was known for his recruiting prowess, scouring the small towns of southern Minnesota for talent for the Augsburg baseball and football programs. He personally recruited many of the top athletes to ever wear an Augsburg uniform in both sports. In 2004, Bateman recognized Wiese's lifelong contribution to Augsburg athletics by naming a baseball team trophy in Wiese's honor -- the Darrell Wiese Most Respected Player Award. "Darrell has truly been the backbone of this program for the past 12-plus years," Bateman said about Wiese's retirement announcement. "His love for Augsburg College and the baseball program has brought many kids to this campus. Through his dedication and hard work, those kids have left here as men. Darrell is a great representative for this institution and this baseball program. I cannot tell you how much I will miss him. "Darrell has done more for this baseball program and institution than any one will ever know," Bateman added. "His passion and dedication to Augsburg College is second to none. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to have been around this great man for the past five years. The game will feel a little different without him around. My first year here at Augsburg, Darrell had recruited 32 of the 34 guys on the team. If it were not for him holding things together behind the scenes, the program would not have made the (MIAC) playoffs in 2005." Below are more quotes from members of the Augsburg community regarding Darrell Wiese. If you would like to add your memories and thoughts about Darrell, e-mail Don Stoner at stoner@augsburg.edu, and we will add your quote to the list. There is not one story about Darrell. There are hundreds. It is who he is.
He called me every other day. He was recruiting me to Augsburg when he was not even on staff. He would get off the plow in the field, get in the house and give me a call. I would not have been at Augsburg if it was not for Darrell. Ever since I have been here, Darrell has walked into the athletics department offices with newspaper clippings. Not just for baseball, but for every sport. They were all cut from small-town papers with names of potential recruits. Darrell ... Where do I start? I'm not sure Augsburg College will see another
person that bleeds Auggie maroon as through and through as Darrell does. It
saddens me to know that Augsburg athletes from this point forward will not
be able to experience Darrell as I did, thus ending an era in Augsburg
athletics. The legacy that Darrell leaves is not only accounted for in the
success we had on the playing field, but also in the positive way he touched
our lives. I'm a much better person and am confident I wouldn't be where I
am today without Darrell. I wish Darrell the best wherever his future
endeavors lead him as long as it has plenty of happiness and relaxation along the way. We all know that Darrell deserves it. Congratulations and
thank you, Darrell. I don't have any particular stories, but as
a resident of Northfield I have not seen a more dedicated recruiter for
Augsburg. Darrell (or "Butsie," as we knew him) has devoted his life to
the college and so deserves any plaudits you can give him. I bet he has
contacted almost every high school football, basketball, and baseball player in the area who had the potential to play Division III sports. My favorite story about my guy "D" is from my freshman year of '04-'05
when we made it to the MIAC tournament in Dundas. We put Darrell's
bucket with the padded seat outside of the dugout so everyone could
see our guy sitting there with his Auggies. The umpires stopped the
game to tell Darrell to take his bucket back into the dugout. That day
made me as proud to be an Auggie as I will ever be. The rest of my
time at Augsburg I spent with one goal in mind...to help get the
Auggies back to Dundas and put that bucket back out there for our guy "Big D." My other favorite Darrell moment came whenever Stomby would track down a ball or make a ridiculous play, Darrell would the biggest smile
on his face and be one of the first ones to give Stomby the "atta boy" when he got back in. He shook everyone's hand and coached us all the same. It was a true joy to have played under Darrell for four years. Darrell never coached me as an outfielder but he coached me as a person. For that, I am ever grateful. To return to Augsburg Baseball, click here To return to Augsburg Athletics, click here Augsburg College, a college of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. This is
the official web site for Augsburg College athletics. |
MINNEAPOLIS (6/2/08) -- Longtime Augsburg College assistant coach Darrell Wiese (Augsburg '59) is retiring, baseball head coach Keith Bateman has announced. Wiese, who spent the past 13 seasons as a baseball assistant coach, announced his retirement at the baseball team's postseason banquet recently.