MinnesotaPreps.com - Five more for the Hall of Fame

September 8, 2009

Special to Minnesota preps

The Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association has named five men who will be inducted into the MBCA Hall of Fame this November. The purpose of the MBCA Hall of Fame is to give special recognition to the people of Minnesota who have made significant contributions to promote high school basketball in the state via their accomplishments and service.

The 2009 inductees are Dale Champ of Elbow Lake-Wendell, Hib Hill of Robbinsdale,
Louie Mitteco, of Totino-Grace, Randy Taylor of Martin County West, and Dave Vanderwerf of Dawson-Boyd
The induction ceremonies will be held at the MBCA Hall of Fame Banquet on Sunday, November 1st, 12:00 p.m., at the DoubleTree Park Place Hotel in St. Louis Park.

Dale Champ was the head basketball coach and Athletic Director at Elbow Lake-Wendell from 1967-1985. Prior to becoming the leader of the EL-W program, Champ coached at East Chain H.S. for five years and Lake Crystal H.S. for two years.

Coach Champ led his Elbow Lake-Wendell teams to conference titles in 1982, 1983, and 1984 and District championships in 1970 and 1972. His East Chain and EL-W squads also captured seven sub-district championships during the era of the one class system. Coach Champ was named District 21 Coach of the Year in 1970 and 1972.

Dale was an active member of the MSHSCA and MBCA serving both organizations as the District 21 representative. Dale left the coaching ranks in 1985 with an overall record of 284-255 to become the principal at Elbow Lake-Wendell H.S. In addition to his basketball coaching duties, Dale also coached football and track at East Chain and Lake Crystal and served as the Athletic Director at East Chain. Champ was named Region 6 Athletic director of the Year in 1984 while at Elbow Lake-Wendell. Dale retired in 1992.

Hib Hill served as the head basketball coach at Robbinsdale H.S. from 1964-1982 and Cooper H.S from 1982-84 and 1987-92. His coaching career began in Red Lake where he coached from 1959-61. He spent three years in Monticello, 1961-64, prior to assuming the head coaching reins of the Robbinsdale basketball program in 1964.

During his 18 year tenure as the leader of the Robins, he coached his teams to five Lake Conference championships. His Robins earned Section Championships and State Tournament appearances in 1970, 1971, and 1975; finishing third in '70 and Runners-up in '75. In addition to coaching at Robbinsdale and Cooper, Coach Hill has an impressive coaching resume which includes stints at Augsburg College, Golden Valley Lutheran College, and the American Community School in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Coach Hill was recognized by his peers as the State Coach of the Year in 1971. He retired with an overall record of 673-251. Hib also served his school communities by coaching track and badminton and serving as Athletic Director at Robbinsdale H.S. during his career. Coach Hill was an active member of the MSHCA and MBCA.

Louie Mitteco became the head boys basketball coach at Totino Grace in 1967 and spent 37 years as the leader of the Eagle program prior to retiring in 2004. During his tenure at Totino Grace, Coach Mitteco guided Eagle teams to fifteen conference titles and seven Section championships. Coach Mitteco's State Tournament teams earned a Private School State Championship in 1972 and finished third in the 1992 MSHSL State tournament.

Louie is a member of the 500 win club with an overall record of 542-292. In addition to his basketball coaching duties, he also coached baseball and football at Grace and served as the Athletic Director for forty years, 1967-2007. He is a member of the Breck Hall of Fame and was selected as the NCEA Outstanding Educator in 2006. Louie is a lifetime member of the MSHCA and the MBCA and in his retirement continues to serve as the 9th grade basketball coach at Totino Grace.

Randy Taylor served as the head basketball coach at Trimont H.S. from 1971-1988 and became the head coach at Martin County West H.S. when consolidation occurred in 1989. Taylor-led squads captured ten conference title and his 1998 Martin County West Mavericks earned a Section 2 championship and State Tournament appearance.

He coached at Martin County West until retiring in 1998. During his 27 years of coaching he amassed a record of 396-190. Randy also served as an assistant football coach at Trimont and MCW for seventeen years. Coach Taylor was recognized as MBCA Section 2 Coach of the Year in 1998. He is a lifetime member of the MSHSCA and the MBCA.

Dave Vanderwerf coached basketball at Dawson-Boyd for 32 years, 26 as the head basketball coach. His Dawson-Boyd teams won five Conference, three district, and three sub-section championships and a Section 3A title in 1991. The 1991 Blackjack team earned third place honors in the State Tournament. During the final 18 years of his career, only two squads finished with sub .500 records.

Coach Vanderwerf retired from coaching with a career mark of 354-212. Dave's coaching honors include being named District Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1994 and Region 3 Coach of the Year in 1991.

Coach Vanderwerf was selected and served as a coach in the MBCA All Star Series. He is a life member of the MSHSCA and the MBCA. Dave also coached football (23 years) and baseball (27) years during his career at Dawson-Boyd.

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