Caleb Burggraaf
Tip of the Burg

Here at Mesa State, we enjoy a very prestigious athletic tradition. Some of our sports have struggled this year, but we shouldn’t forget that this is a school that has in the last two years sent no less than three teams, and one individual to National Championships. But prestige isn’t the only thing that gets a team all the way to the top. It’s time to give credit to the men and women who have brought the prestige to our school. That’s right, the coaches.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, men’s basketball coach Jim Heaps won his 250th game as the head coach here at Mesa. This from a man who has been coaching here for 15 years and took over from the current leader in wins for a Mesa State head coach in Doug Schakel (299–192). Schakel coached the Mavs for 18 seasons. Not only is Heaps on his way to overtaking Schakel on the all-time wins list, but Heaps has done it with only two losing seasons (Schakel had five). Heaps led the team to three NCAA Division II Regional Tournaments and the first NCAA tournament win in school history last season.
But it isn’t just Heaps who has built on a tradition of excellence here at Mesa. Look at other sports. Coaches Joe Ramunno, Chris Hanks, and Kris Mort have done great things, as well. Ramunno won the first Division II football playoff game in RMAC history, Hanks took the Mesa State baseball team to its first Division II College World Series, and Mort has led the Lady Maverick softball team to six NCAA Division II Regional Tournaments and one Elite Eight appearance.
Add to this a slew of coaches who are just starting to build a legacy here at Mesa. Coaches like Scott Hanson, who has built a minor dynasty out of women’s golf. Like Coach Dave Fleming, who has taken the Mesa State volleyball team to three NCAA Regional Tournaments and just recently won his 100th game for the Mavericks. Or Coach Dan McDonald, who led the Mesa State men’s tennis team to a Sweet Sixteen appearance in last spring’s NCAA Tennis Tournament.
This isn’t to say that these coaches haven’t made any mistakes in their careers. It is just to point out that in most cases for the Mesa State coaching staff, the milestones have a lead on the mistakes. So the next time you attend a Mesa State athletic event, look at the man or woman pacing the sidelines with every play and give them a tip of your cap, because they make the Mavericks winners.
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cburggra@mesastate.edu