Bruce Davis--Tri-City United High School

Bruce is a graduate of Medford High School in 1982 and from Mankato State University in 1986. This is Bruce’s 30 season as a Head Baseball Coach. Bruce spent one year as the head baseball coach at Claremont High School before becoming a teacher and coach at Montgomery-Lonsdale High School. He continued as the head baseball coach when the Montgomery-Lonsdale School District and the LeCenter School District consolidated in 2013 forming the Tri-City United School District. Bruce has been named Minnesota River Conference “Coach of the Year” 6 times and was the Class “A” Minnesota State Coach of the Year in 1999. Two of Coach Davis’s teams have made it to the State Tournament. The 1999 Montgomery-Lonsdale Redbirds Team won the Class “A” State Championship and the 2000 Team was the Class “AA” State Runner-up. Bruce has been named as the “District Coach of the Year”, “Sub-Section Coach of the Year”, and “Section Coach of the Year” numerous times over his baseball coaching career. He has also coached boys basketball at various levels and football for 25 years, 7 years as co-head football coach where in 1996 Bruce was named Minnesota River Conference Football Coach of the Year.

Bruce has been involved in the Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches Association for many years serving in many roles. He has been a section rep for many years and he worked with the state baseball rankings committee for many years. Bruce served as the President of the Baseball Coaches Association from 2006-2008. He has also coached summer baseball including Legion, Babe Ruth, and Metro Baseball.

Bruce and his wife, Char, along with their children, Kelsey and Brad, live in Montgomery.

 

Jeff Gallagher--Montevideo High School

Jeff attended Benson High School, graduating in 1969. Upon graduating from Benson, Jeff attended Willmar Community College. Jeff played one year of baseball, along with one year of football and two years of wrestling. Jeff graduated from Mankato State University with a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education in 1975. He wrestled two years at Mankato State University.

Jeff began teaching and coaching at Windom High School from 1975 to 1978. He started his baseball coaching career at Montevideo High School in 1978 and continued through 2006. He compiled a record of 333 wins and 224 losses. His teams earned six conference championships, six district championships, four sub-section championships (’92, ’94, ’98, and ’03), and two region/section championships (’83 and ’96).  He also had success coaching Legion Baseball, compiling 325 wins in 25 years while earning a runner-up finish in the Division II State Tournament in his final year of coaching.

Jeff had a passion for the game of baseball. He took his high school teams to the Metrodome to play seven times, played in tournaments in Montana, Utah, and Nevada, and was cleared to play in Europe in 1992 but the Gulf War broke out. Jeff worked for the Minnesota Twins from 1987 to 1994.

Jeff enjoyed great success, not only in baseball, but wrestling as well. Jeff had a record of 321 wins and 254 losses during his 31 year career in wrestling. He is one of the only coaches ever in the state of Minnesota to earn over 300 wins in two sports-baseball and wrestling. As well, he was inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association (MWCA) Hall of Fame in 2011.

Jeff passed away in 2013.

 

Mike Halloran--Eden Prairie High School

Mike Halloran graduated from Edina High School in 1983 where he played baseball, football and hockey. Mike caught for the Edina American Legion National Championship Team in 1983 and was named the MVP for the tournament. He went to the University of Minnesota where he played for the Golden Gophers under John Anderson. Mike caught for the Gophers for 4 years. While playing for the Gophers they won the Big Ten Championship in 1985.

Mike was recruited by Angelo Giuliani and signed with the Minnesota Twins. He played for the Elizabethton Twins and the Kenosha Twins. An injury to Mike’s shoulder ended his professional career.

Mike returned to Minnesota and taught physical education in Minneapolis and coached baseball at Roosevelt High School. He became the baseball coach at Eden Prairie High School in 1994.

Over the course of his 18 year career at Eden Prairie, Mike’s teams won 350 games and lost just 131. Mike always understood and emphasized to his players that winning was secondary to how they conducted themselves, and treated each other and opponents, and who they were becoming as young men.

During his tenure at Eden Prairie the Eagles won 11 conference championships, made 9 state tournament appearances and won 2 state championships. Mike’s teams won five academic state championships, an illustration of Mike’s commitment to both his players and their academic development above what they could do on the baseball field.

Mike was named Coach of the Year in Class AAA by the MSHSBCA in 2004. He was named the Jim Dimick Retired Coach in 2014.  He was the committee chair for the Metro West Team for the all-star series tournament for many years.

Mike was an assistant coach for the Eden Prairie American Legion Baseball Team for 5 years while his two sons played on the team. The team won the state tournament 2 times, had 4 appearances at the regional tournament, played in the national tournament 2 times and won the national championship in 2011.

Mike and his coaching staff helped the Eden Prairie Baseball Association improve baseball for all of the young baseball players in Eden Prairie.

Mike volunteered as site director for numerous Minnesota American Legion State Baseball Tournaments. He has helped with Minnesota Twins Baseball Camps.

Mike is still teaching at Eden Prairie but retired from coaching baseball in 2012 so that he could watch his two sons play college baseball. Matt played at the University of Minnesota and Dan at Macalester.

Mike now has the time to fully enjoy his hobbies of fishing and hunting. Mike would like to thank his outstanding assistant coaches for their support throughout his coaching career: Tony Ruemmele, Pete Fogarty, Scott Hackett, John Buteyn, Gary Kraemer, and Drew Bartley. He would also like to thank his wife, Laura, for her many years of encouragement and support.

 

John Hardgrove--Mahtomedi High School

John Hardgrove was raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and graduated from St. Lawrence High School in 1973. There he played football, basketball and baseball before attending the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, playing baseball there. Along the way, John played summer baseball in the Rock River League (Oakfield) and the Wisconsin State League (Appleton).  From 1977-79 he was the assistant coach for the La Crosse Post 52 Legion Team, state champions in 1978.

John spent one year teaching mathematics in Beloit, Wisconsin before becoming a math teacher and coach in Mahtomedi, from where he retired from teaching in 2014. In Mahtomedi John coached football, basketball, and just completed his 32nd year as head baseball coach. His teams have won 6 conference championships, two region titles, and played in two state tournaments. He is most proud of who his players have become beyond graduation, with many moving on to continue their careers at the collegiate level. He has had the privilege of coaching in three Minnesota Baseball All-Star Series and has earned multiple Section Coach of the Year Awards. He was inducted into the Minnesota Girls Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

John has been a lifelong baseball coach, who shares his accomplishments with the coaches and players he has been privileged to work with. In addition to his baseball, he has officiated football at the high school and collegiate level for the past 24 years and has worked five Prep Bowls and numerous NCAA playoff games. John says, “Be it baseball, officiating, or my math department, the pleasure is being part of a team and working with a group of dedicated people striving for a common goal.”

He and his devoted wife of 36 years, Carol, have two children, Ashley (33) and Andrew (31), along with two wonderful grandchildren, Austin (5) and Alexandra (18 mos).

 

Kevin Merkle--Northfield High School & MSHSL

Kevin grew up in St. Paul, attending North St. Paul High School where he participated in three sports, and played both football and baseball at Westmar College in Iowa. After teaching and coaching in Grand Marias, Minnesota for one year, Kevin spent three years teaching and coaching in Newton, Iowa before settling in Northfield. At Northfield Kevin was the head football coach for eight years.  After two years as an assistant coach in baseball, Kevin became the head baseball coach for two years before moving into administration. During this time Kevin also ran the youth baseball program in Northfield and resurrected the American Legion Program. Kevin served as the Athletic/Activities Director in Northfield for fourteen years before joining the Minnesota State High School League in 2001. Over the years Kevin was also able to coach both of his sons in youth baseball. One of the most enjoyable parts of his job is being the Director for Baseball. Kevin is now in his 15th year with the League and thoroughly enjoys working directly with the Baseball Coaches Association and directing the State Baseball Tournament. While Kevin coached more football than baseball, he is not so sure that coaching baseball is not where he really belonged. He loves football, but he has a special love for the game of baseball. Kevin and his wife, Candy, live in Mahtomedi. They have three grown children—Lauren, Josh and Jake and four grandchildren.

 

Paul Mork--Wells High School,  Blaine High School, and Legacy Christian Academy

Paul was born and raised on a farm in southern Minnesota and attended Kiester High School. He played baseball, basketball and football there and at St. Olaf College where he earned his B.A. Paul completed his post-graduate work with a Master’s degree from Macalester College. He and his wife Mamie, a nurse, have been blessed with four grown children, and seven grandchildren, ages 9-16, (the “Magnificent Seven”), all presently living in the metro area.

Paul has completed fifty-five years of high school coaching and was a forty year career college prep English teacher. He stopped teaching about fifteen years ago to have time to write the book entitled The Power of Becoming. However, while writing the book, he was still able to keep on coaching at area high schools and has done so until today.

Paul has been a head coach in high school baseball, football, boys and girls basketball, and cross country and also assisted in track. All of his teaching and coaching has been in the state of Minnesota, beginning with seven years in southern Minnesota at Wells, St. Charles, and Hayfield. Subsequently moving to the Twin Cities, he coached and taught primarily at White Bear Lake where he spent thirty-three years. In addition, he has coached at North St. Paul, Blaine, Mounds Park Academy, Forest Lake, Irondale, New Life Academy and Legacy Christian Academy High Schools in the metro area.

Besides teaching and coaching, Paul’s family, his church, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes’ organization have been the focal points of his existence.

 

Dennis Roisum--Glencoe-Silver Lake High School

Dennis graduated in 1962 from Kerkhoven High School. While in high school Dennis participated in class plays, student council, various clubs and sports. During his senior year he was captain and all-conference in football, basketball, and baseball.

After high school Dennis attended St. Cloud State College. He earned a B.S. Degree in education with majors in Social Studies, Physical Education, Business, and Special Education. While he was at St. Cloud, Dennis was a pitcher on the Husky baseball team.

In 1967 he took his first teaching job, teaching phy ed at Sartell. From there, it was off to teaching and a coaching job at Hector, Minnesota. While at Hector for 11 years he taught social studies and served as head basketball and head baseball coach.

In the fall of 1979 the Roisums’ moved to Glencoe when Dennis was hired as a social studies teacher. While at Glencoe/GSL he taught classes in law, psychology, history, geography, economics, and P.E. He also served as advisor for the Mock Trail Program, as well as serving as assistant basketball coach for boys and girls and was head baseball coach for 18 years.

Baseball teams coached by Roisum won over 300 games. In 7 years of coaching in the Wright County Conference his teams produced 4 championships-finishing 2nd or 3rd the other years. The 1996 team was the first GSL team to make the state tournament where they finished 3rd.

In 1994 Dennis was inducted into the Minnesota State Amateur Hall of Fame. His biggest ‘claim to fame’ was that he once pitched the distance in a 20 inning game in 1967.

In 1994 Dennis received the State High School Coaches award as ‘Retired Coach of the Year’.  He was one of three school officials given the ‘Distinguisted Service Award’ in 2011 for referees and umpires.