|
Thorp Courier (Thorp, WI)
August 2, 2006, Page 4
Transcribed by Dolores Mohr Kenyon
Greetings to Thorp Alumni
Alumni Remember Jack Tetzner
On March 15, 2006, the most successful coach in the history of Thorp
High School passed away. At the All-Thorp Alumni Reunion, held from June
30 to July 2, 2006, the alumni honored Coach Jack Tetzner, who coached
at THS from 1954 to 1987, with a memorabilia display about his life and
the years he spent in Thorp. Two of Jack’s players, George Kliminski ’59
and Gary Pszeniczny ’82, expressed their thoughts about their high
school coach.
George Kliminski writes, “I am like so many others who played for Jack.
I admired him not only for his coaching but for what I learned from him
without knowing I was learning. As I look back at 1954, as an eighth
grader and being introduced to Coach Tetzner, I was not sure what I
would learn from this man.
Many of us now know that he was one of the most successful high school
basketball coaches in Wisconsin, a person who put Thorp and Thorp High
School on the basketball map of Wisconsin. His many victories on the
court are a matter of record. His record of 525 wins and 274 losses
ranks him as one of the winningest coaches in the history of Wisconsin
basketball. How did he do it and what were the lessons we all learned on
the way, to many of those wins?
As I look back at the many painful nights of practice I now understand
what he did for his players. First, he knew and understood the game of
basketball (and other sports as well). He was ahead of his time in using
the Drake Shuffle, zone presses, changing defenses on the floor and his
never stop, keep pressing the ball. I learned that preparation and
knowing and understanding your profession is where it all starts. You
never win or are successful if you have not done your homework. One must
be prepared and continue to be a learner to be successful at basketball
or at life. He was a true believer in knowing and understanding the
fundamentals of the game. At whatever level I played, I was always
prepared in the fundamentals of the game because of him. This carries
over to life. If you understand the fundamentals of whatever you are
doing you can compete with anyone. You fit in and can become part of a
team whether it is in business, education or athletics.
Secondly, Jack Tetzner understood what made his players go. He
understood that one player needed praise, another a shove, and another
to be told he really wasn’t nearly as good as he thought he was. The
lesson here is to understand people you work and play with. Everyone is
different and needs a different approach to be motivated to do their
best. Another lesson that carried over into everything I ever did. Work
with people to bring out their best. Use the right motivational tool at
the right time with the right person.
Third, Jack instilled in all of his players that working hard and never
quitting was more important than pure talent. He taught us that, while
talent is important, it is not the only thing that can led you to
succeed. Working hard, doing things the correct way and knowing that
hard work can lead to success is so critical in basketball and in life.
So many former Thorp athletes who played for Jack went on to do well in
many fields of endeavor. So much of that was learned on the basketball
floor.
And finally, what I saw and learned from Jack Tetzner was the importance
of commitment and loyalty and a sense of contributing to community. Jack
had opportunities to go to other places to coach. He stayed in Thorp for
a number of reasons. He loved the community and the students at Thorp
High School. He believed that students from Thorp were kids who never
quit. Who would, when the chips were down and ballgame was on the line,
deliver. And they have in so many ways and so many places and in so many
professions. He believed in and stayed in Thorp because it was a great
place to raise his children and his wife, Joan, like it there. He taught
us that you do not have to go to the next best place to enhance your
career. Great careers happen in places like Thorp.
Jack was a friend of mine and I stopped to see him whenever I got back
home. His coaching had a real effect on me as an athlete. But I didn’t
become a player after college I didn’t become a coach in any sport. His
lessons for me came from basketball but affected my life in many ways.
The lessons that turned out to be the most important really didn’t have
anything to do with winning basketball games. Or did they?
As a side note to all the alumni, Jack Tetzner was one of many at Thorp
High School that helped us learn these many lessons. What a great
education we received from so many outstanding teachers, the school and
community. Look around at the many friends that you have that went to
Thorp High School. So much of our success really does lie in our
background and experience in Thorp.
In his letter, Gary Pszeniczny wrote, “Coach was a local icon in Thorp.”
As far back as I could remember, as a student growing up and wanting to
play athletics, everyone knew Coach. He had celebrity status in Thorp. I
believe most of my peers were in awe when he was in the junior high
watching one of our games. Everyone respected Coach. He definitely had
his advocates and some critics, but everyone respected him. I’ve had
numerous conversations with many of my peers from the ‘70s and ‘80s and
it is almost unanimous how many individuals would have wanted their son
to have played for Coach.
Personally, Coach taught me to never accept anything less than my best.
He reminded me of this daily. Pride was another trait that coach
addressed to me and my teammates regularly. We would often begin each
basketball practice with some challenge that would address personal and
team pride. Coach was advanced in many things he did as a coach. He was
always watching game film. He was a stickler for the fundamentals and he
was the first person to emphasize the K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
concept.
We played in the state tournament in 1982. We were a Class C qualifier.
It was a remarkable experience for me, my teammates, our families, the
school and the entire community. If there is one thing that I remember
most about that experience, it was how the town and alumni came
together. We were all one community literally. All the pettiness that
often times divides people and communities seemed to cease during that
run. We had a special group of student athletes on that team. Most
everyone went on to college and graduated. I am very proud to say that I
am a graduate of Thorp High School.
|