Concordia coaches bring plenty of success
They’re running out of wall space in the offices of the athletic department at Concordia University these days, making it more and more difficult to hang any more awards plaques.
It’s a good problem to have, as it means the school’s athletic teams continue to prosper. And of course, success on the field or court usually means there’s somebody directing it all.
Concordia’s coaching staff has pulled off a rare feat, as a coach from the school was named the NAIA national coach of the year in their respective sport in three successive seasons.
Last June, Mike Grahovac led the baseball team to an NAIA national title and was named NAIA coach of the year. In December, Dan Fisher took the women’s volleyball team to the national championship match before losing, but also was named NAIA coach of the year.
And finally last March, Ken Ammann guided the men’s basketball team to the national title, and Ammann was named NAIA coach of the year.
“It means a lot,” said Concordia Athletic Director David Bireline. “It’s a product of hard work behind the scenes, a product of support from the administration, from President [Kurt] Krueger to Executive Vice President [Gary] McDaniel to the grounds crew and maintenance, the professors on campus and the dining services. Everyone has a piece, and that makes it fun. We’re pretty fortunate; I don’t think it’s been done by any program at any level.”
Bireline, who is in his fourth year at Concordia after previously serving at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, gets his share of credit as well. It’s no coincidence that Concordia’s recent surge in athletic success has coincided with Bireline’s arrival.
“The big thing is we get the support from the AD and the administration,” said Grahovac, whose Eagles won 25 of their final 28 games in the 2011 season, including a 9-3 victory over Lubbock Christian in the championship game. “Dave Bireline allows us to do our jobs, he allows us as coaches to recruit good players and good students.”
And Grahovac admitted his job also is made easier by having that national crown on his resume.
“Basketball has two, but for us, it was our first,” he said. “Now we have big name kids want to come here. We have four kids who were drafted pretty high. I don’t have to go out and ask kids to come here, they’re calling me, they’re asking me. Coaches are calling me.
“The sad thing is I can’t take them all. They have to fit into our concept. We ask them to make a commitment in the classroom and on the field.”
For Fisher, his first season at Concordia almost went perfectly. Almost.
Yes, he won the national coach of the year award, but his Eagles came up short in their national title quest. They lost their second match of the season, then won 36 in a row before losing in the national championship match to the University of Texas, Brownsville.
“At this point, most of the initial disappointment has rubbed off a little bit,” Fisher said. “But the main thing is I’m proud of our team. I don’t think anyone picked us to be that strong. And we had no seniors, so we have everybody coming back.”
Before coming to Concordia, Fisher coached at the University of Pacific, University of San Francisco and University of Hawaii. At Concordia, he sees little difference in the passion and effort put forth by the coaches.
“This was my first year at the NAIA level after being at [NCAA] Division I my whole career,” he said. “And I can tell you all the coaches at this school treat the job the same way as Division I coaches. They put in the same hours and strive for that same culture of success.”
Ammann was the most recent coach of the year winner, following his team’s national championship game win over Oklahoma Baptist in March. But this is old hat to him – he won the national coach of the year award in 2003 as well, when the Eagles won their first men’s national championship.
“Our entire coaching staff and team maintained great focus and put forth a great effort to get this done together,” Ammann said. “Winning this year was the most rewarding it has been in a long time. Our seniors were a special group and they did a great job trusting themselves in the tournament. My coaching staff was outstanding in the tournament and all year long.”
Bireline said his philosophy is based on four simple pillars.
“No. 1, our Christianity is important to us,” he said. “No. 2 is academics. We will not be successful [athletically] at the expense of academics. No. 3 is to prepare the students for life after college from a social standpoint. And the fourth pillar is striving for excellence. The theme is striving together for excellence, make today better than yesterday.”