Gene's Blog: A big-picture guy leaves big shoes to fill

December 21, 2009

A slice of St. Thomas athletics history was on display at last Tuesday’s press conference in Murray-Herrick Center.

At the podium were athletics director/men’s basketball coach Steve Fritz and retiring baseball coach Dennis Denning.

Fritz has been with Tommie basketball for the last 43 seasons as a player and coach. In 30 years as a head coach, his teams have won 547 games and 14 MIAC championships. Fritz’ 2008-09 team made conference history as it claimed a No. 1 national ranking and posted a 30-0 start.

Before he introduced the man he hired as his baseball coach 15 years earlier, Fritz praised Denning for exceeding even the loftiest of expectations that followed him when he arrived from Cretin-Derham Hall.

Denning has coached in St. Paul for 43 years. His remarkable resume includes 522 victories and four top-two NCAA finishes in 15 Tommie seasons. That 32-year span at CDH and St. Thomas has produced 901 victories and  conference regular-season or postseason championships in 29 of the 32 seasons.

Along with a half dozen media members, Tuesday’s gathering attracted university President Dennis Dease and three UST vice-presidents. The audience included Mark Dienhart, who won an NCAA individual championship as a student athlete 35 years ago and and coached a national team title in indoor track and field 25 years back.

Two of Denning’s former Cretin players were on hand -– UST coach John Tschida, who has 573 softball wins and three career NCAA titles in 15 seasons, and Johnny Tauer, who played on state champion baseball and basketball teams with the Raiders.

Denning’s regular lunch group includes Tschida and UST hockey coach Terry Skrypek. All three have been named National Coach of the Year in their respective sports.

Mixed emotions

Like others, I had mixed feelings on this day. I was momentarily sad for St. Thomas baseball, but I know the players and the program will carry on. Mostly, I’m happy that Coach Denning leaves in good health and enters a retirement with so much to look forward to.

Dennis and I were hired at St. Thomas in the same week in June 1994. He’s been a fascinating guy to watch and cover. Whether winning a doubleheader in Collegeville or one in Cuba, his players always displayed a respect for the game, an appreciation of fundamentals, and a child-like enjoyment of baseball.

I’ve written countless magazine, print and web stories on Denning’s connections, achievements, and personality. A 2002 profile of Denning that I penned for the St. Thomas Magazine was chosen as National Story of the Year out of 237 entries by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Compelling subjects, not writers, are what win those awards.

Besides everything they accomplished on and off the field, Tommie baseball has produced a treasure chest of great numbers and notes for us sports information stat nuts. Did you know that Denning’s teams haven’t lost more than two games in a row since 2000?

I have other favorites. A check of last spring’s four national team champions reveals that Division I champion LSU had 107 home runs in 73 games, D-II champion Lynn had 70 home runs in 62 games, NAIA champ Lubbock Christian had 132 HRs in 60 games, and your D-III winners from UST had… 23 home runs in 54 games. The Tommies’ final three elimination victories over Carthage and Wooster were achieved with no home runs, one triple, two doubles and 27 singles.

The Toms’ No. 1-ranked defense had just one error over the last 51 innings of the season. In the 6-0 run in NCAA playoff elimination games, UST allowed just nine runs (1.42 ERA).

Dandy debut

Bryce Gapinski had a surreal 2009. As a freshman pitcher for the Tommies, he finished 7-2 with a 3.34 ERA. He won two NCAA playoff games to help his team win a national championship ring.

In the May 26 championship rematch with Wooster -– the sixth elimination game UST faced in a 12-day stretch –- Gapinski (shown at right) started and allowed two runs with no walks over five innings. Brandon Stone relieved and posted seven shutout innings, and the Tommies claimed the NCAA championship as they outlasted the Scots for a 3-2, 12-inning win.

St. Thomas beat two Wooster All-American pitchers over 21 innings to win the title. They hit into six double plays and left 24 runners on base in the two games, but still eked out a pair of victories, thanks in part to two suicide squeezes and seven other sacrifice bunts on the day.

It was a sweet summer of celebrations. UST’s post-game field rush was featured in a two-page Sports Illustrated photo spread. The Tommies were saluted on the field at the Metrodome before a Minnesota Twins game in June. On that night they posed with pictures with Joe Mauer, then watched the future American League MVP go 4-for-4 against the Pirates. Team members later were congratulated in person in July by Governor Pawlenty at the state capitol.

Nearly six months to the day of their Metrodome trip, on the first day of final exams, the Tommie players assembled last Tuesday for a team meeting. They woke up to seven-below zero temperatures. For Gapinski, it was also his 20th birthday, but there was no joy in MHC when a tearful Denning shared his news. He didn’t have the energy to run the program at the level he desired, Denning explained, and he had decided to retire on Feb. 1.

“(Tuesday) was one of the worst days for me in a long time,” Gapinski said. “ Coach Denning is by far the best coach I've have the pleasure to play for, he was a big reason why I am attending St. Thomas today. He was a player's dream. I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to play for him for one year.  I wish the best for him, and I'm thankful for everything he has given to St. Thomas.”

Taylor Rahm said simply, “Playing for Coach Denning was a great privilege and experience.”

All-American and Academic All-American Matt Schuld (shown at right) noted that Denning’s value went far beyond on-field instruction, “Coach Denning is a legendary coach because of how many games he won, but winning was never what he was most concerned about. What he really cared about was that the guys in his program were good men, and he truly did care about us. His door was always open to come in and talk about anything. His presence on campus and as the leader of our team will definitely be missed.”

Pat Casey was a volunteer coach who called Dennis a “father figure.” Casey added, “He always knew how to get the best out of everyone. He cared deeply about every one of his players as individuals and went to great lengths to make sure his players were as successful off the field as they were on it.”

Tom Wippler appreciates Denning’s emphasis on the total person. “He always reminded me to remember who I represent, whether it be the university, my family, or myself. He would always tell me that I was a good person and a good teammate, and that's why he likes having me on the team. He never said I like you because of what you can do on the field -- that played second fiddle in his standard of coaching.  The last thing he said that stuck with me was that, ‘It doesn't matter where you end up, but it’s the path you take to get there.’ I try to focus on working hard and going about my work/play/life with the most important values as a top priority.”

Erik Olson (shown at right) said the coach had high expectations, and believes his influence goes beyond the St. Thomas campus.

“He will forever be an icon in St. Paul for what he did for the game of baseball in the city, but now I think it is safe to say that people around the entire nation know about him as a baseball coach,” Olson said. “Year in and out, St. Thomas has been a power in one of the toughest regions in the country. I can’t put into words the amount of respect I have for Coach Denning.  He taught us to be better people in the world, which says a lot more about him as a person. Over the last four years, I learned a lot about life while continuing to grow as a baseball player.”

Competitive, but fun

Chris Olean played for and coached with Denning in 13 of the 15 seasons at UST. Olean said his mentor’s skills went beyond his successes as a technique coach and as a game strategist.

“He is a not a big speech giver or motivational speaker, but yet he gets the maximum effort out of every one of his players and coaches,” Olean explained. “Dennis expects your best, and the last thing in the world you want to do is disappoint him. You find yourself as both a player and coach doing everything in your power to give him the result he expects. You know that he has 100% prepared and is focused on the task at hand, weather it’s a practice or a game, and you don’t want to give anything less than your absolute best effort. He has the ability to motivate with his actions, and his passion for the game.

“He has been a great mentor to me. He helped me understand the true values of playing baseball, while being extremely competitive and having fun doing it.”

On his initial recruiting visit, Roy Larson (shown at right) came away with a strong first impression of Denning.

“I entered his office and the first thing he did was check my hand for calluses to see if I had been swinging a bat and working on baseball,” Larson said. “The first thing he really said to me was that by coming to St. Thomas I would be getting a great education, I would graduate, and give myself a great opportunity to succeed after I graduated, which I feel is the most important thing when choosing a school.  I was surprised by this and the fact that he focused more about what the school had to offer, rather than St. Thomas’ great tradition of baseball.

“After hearing this I had the feeling that he, as well as the whole University of St. Thomas, would have my best interest in mind. By getting to know Coach Denning over the last three-plus years, I saw that he really wanted what was best for every single person in the program.”