Augustana alum play an important role in helping Augustana grow as a college. They give back to the school in different ways, whether that be through monetary donations or volunteering. However, in the past years, several alumni have chosen to give back to the school through coaching, pushing Augustana athletes to achieve their best.
There are various reasons why some alumni were influenced to become a coach, ranging from family, mentors, and their own sports experiences at Augustana.
Assistant Men’s basketball coach, Tom Jessee, had two people in mind that inspired him to become a coach at Augie.
“I guess there has been two people who influenced me to get into college coaching. Elgin Watson was a student assistant here at Augustana during my senior year of high school and was the first person to introduce me to Augustana,” Jessee said. “The other person was Steve Yount, who was my coach during my senior year here at Augie. He opened my eyes to how influential a great leader can be to a group of individuals and what an impact a coach can have on its players.”
The assistant Men’s lacrosse coach, Anthony Nobiling, and the women’s bowling coach, Marty Resner, spoke more on their athletic experience as their encouragement to come back to Augie.
“Having an opportunity to play here and continue to grow the program is something I have wanted to be involved in, and I am thankful for head coach, Dan Torie, to have given me this opportunity to coach these young men,” Nobiling said.
Resner had a similar outlook.
“During my time here, I developed a great passion and pride towards Viking athletics because I really bought into it as a player,” Resner said. “The announcement of the addition of women’s bowling at Augustana had me excited from the very beginning. I was enjoying coaching bowling at the high school level, and I jumped on the opportunity here to once again be apart of Augustana athletics.”
Along with inspiration, comes the dedication that the coaches demonstrate to the athletes and the Augie community. When asked if he felt that coaching was a way to give back to Augustana, head coach for the Women’s golf team, Tom Lawrence, said that he definitely wanted to give back.
“Absolutely. I have a strong faith in God, and I see my position as a mission field, helping student-athletes make their college years the best they can be.”
Assistant track coach, Tom Pettis, showed similar gratitude towards his contributions to the college.
“Apart from my family, the Augie community has given me more than anything else in my life,” Pettis said. “I strive to put more in than I’ve received in the hopes of impacting the lives of the students as profoundly as I had been impacted.”
The coaching experiences of the alum have offered many opportunities for making memories and showing appreciation for Augustana athletics.
“There has been a lot of memorable experiences, so it is hard to pick one. I guess the one that sticks with me is the 2002-03 season. That was my first season associated with Augustana as both a player and a coach, and we were able to win a conference championship,” coach Jessee said. “We have gone on to win 7 more conference championships, but that first one seemed so hard to achieve that it seems so precious.”