Jun 24, 2008 - 04:06:45 CDT
While Minot High School's Gene Manson and Ken Disher and the University of Mary's Al Bortke performed in different athletic arenas, the trio is bound by a common bond.All three excelled in their various endeavors, and did so over a long period of time.
That success and longevity earned Manson, Disher and Bortke the North Dakota Associated Press Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association's Special Achievement award. The award is the organization's highest honor.
Al Bortke
Bortke's career spans both a highly successful coaching stint and an equally impressive tenure as the only athletic director the University of Mary has had.
Bortke's motivation to keep coming back to work after 35 years was simple - U-Mary was like family.
"I think first of all, this job at Mary has been a family and a home, and you should look forward to seeing family or coming home," he said. "It was never a problem putting the key in the office door."
Bortke was hired as the university's men's basketball coach and athletic director in 1973. He amassed a 335-156 record. In 1989, he stepped down from coaching to focus on the athletic department.
"We only had basketball in '73," he said. "When we started building the program, it got to the point where if I had a bad practice, I could look in the mirror - that is the greatest motivational tool, by the way - and then go and work on having a good practice. But when we did, on the way home, I would think that I didn't get that same thing done for football or track today."
Bortke almost stayed in coaching.
"I really thought about giving up the AD part first," Bortke said. "At the time, Dave Gunther (at the University of North Dakota) and I were good friends. We coached and recruited together. I pretty much stole everything I could from Dave. We both talked about getting out of coaching and talked about a situation where health-wise, down the road we might want the desk job.
"The school immediately gave me a great opportunity to be involved with the NAIA. I was a regional chair for a long time and the chairman of the NAIA Council of Athletic Administrators, so I became involved right away. It was a great opportunity," he said.
During his time as athletic director, Bortke was inducted into the University of Mary Hall of Fame, was named the Region II Athletic Director of the Year and the NAIA Athletic Director of the Year in 2000, the Dakota Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2004-05 and most recently, helped U-Mary move from the NAIA to the NCAA.
The shift went so smoothly that the NCAA made U-Mary eligible for postseason competition two years ahead of schedule.
"We got a tremendous school effort to make the move to the NCAA," Bortke said. "Naturally, it was one of the happier times in my life when we got a phone call saying they would waive two years of probation."
While the University of Mary and Bortke have had success on the field, he is most proud of the academic side.
"Only one kid in 16 years of coaching didn't get his four-year degree, and he is making more money than you or I today," he said. "I tell coaches all the time that you might have a lot of wins, but the greatest thing we can see is when student athletes walk across the stage to get their diploma."
Gene Manson
For Manson, motivation came from energy, even after he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the 2008 Class A state boys basketball tournament in March.
"I think the biggest thing was I always had the energy to keep coming to the gym. I love going to practice, and I have always said that if I didn't enjoy that, I'd quit," he said. "Even up to when I made the decision, the energy was never a problem."
Manson spent 37 years as a coach, getting his start at Adams High School. He made stops in St. Thomas and Devils Lake before taking the job at Minot High in 1981. In his career, Manson won four state titles, earned 628 career wins and was inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
"First of all, I never thought I would coach for 37 years - never," Manson said. "We used to say that you would wake up and be a 50-year-old coach, and now I'm going to be 60. I think that what kept me in it all those years was not so much the wins or losses or the state championships, but the fellowship with the coaches. Whether you're 50 or 25, there is a camaraderie no matter what the age."
While the coaches played an important part, so did the students - and not just the players.
"Secondly, the young people have kept me going. They help keep you young," Manson said. "And it is not just the players, but the cheerleaders and the student managers and the fans."
While Manson acknowledged his four state title teams as fond memories, he singled out the seasons in which his three sons - Ross, Bart and Brian - played in state championship games as his best.
"Any time you can coach your sons, that's special," he said. "It is even better when you get to coach them all in a state championship game."
Manson believes that the timing of his retirement was right.
"It was hard to know when you should retire or not," he said. "We had a special group of kids come though, and I felt that it might be a good time for change. I definitely felt it was the right time for my family. Coaching is probably harder on your family."
Ken Disher
While Disher was a member of his high school swim team, his actual performance in the pool was not an indicator of his coaching career. It did expose him to both the work ethic needed to excel and be a mentor in the sport.
"My parents told everybody in our family to participate in one activity, and I chose swimming even though I was terrible," Disher said. "I was fascinated with how they worked. My high school coach, Tom Manley, treated me with such respect even though I was never going to make the varsity. I think that is really where I learned to work with the kids."
Disher didn't exactly burst onto the swim coaching scene. He was a little reluctant to get into coaching, but knew early on it was good decision.
"They kind of had to talk me into being the assistant coach," he said. "The first time I met (head coach) Jim Straight I knew it was a good decision. I wasn't planning on making Minot my home then and wasn't sure I wanted to be a head coach. I was happy with being an assistant coach. But they talked me into that, too."
It was a good thing for Minot. Under Disher's tutelage, the Magicians won 20 state championships in his 29 years, including the past 10 straight titles. He was an 11-time North Dakota coach of the year, national coach of the year in 2001 (NFCA) and in 2002 (NHSACA). In 2002, he was inducted into the North Dakota Coaches Hall of Fame and was inducted into the National Coaches Hall of Fame this year.
"I don't know if I feel I'm responsible for it," he said when asked about the Minot success. "We have had so many great student athletes in our program. We have two great feeder programs in the Minot Swim Club and our middle school program, and we have had great assistant coaches. You know, they are the ones down on the deck and doing the teaching and so much of the coaching. The head coach works with a lot of administration that I have to thank all of the assistants."
While Disher is proud of all the swimmers he has coached, he is keeping a watchful eye on one alum, former Minot High and University of Texas swimmer Matt Lowe. Lowe is set to compete in the United States Olympic swimming trials next week in Omaha, Neb.
"That's a point that we are all real proud of in Minot," he said of Lowe. "He learned all of his swimming right here in Minot. The way he has handled himself throughout his career has made me awful proud. It is a special part of my coaching career to be a part of it."
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