Coach Hensler: A real coach

One of my very dear friends is probably going to retire from coaching after next Saturday. I say probably because he's been threatening to do this for the last four years. But as the grass starts to get brown and that certain smell that hangs in the air that only coaches recognize Keith Hensler decides to give it one more year.
I first met Keith in 1977 when I did my one year stint as a teacher at Mukwonago, Wisconsin High School. Keith came out of Morrisson, Illinois and had his first job in Irwin, Iowa. I believe he took an assistants job at Mukwonago in '76. Kiki(that's every one's pet name for him) became the head coach around 1980 and stayed in that position until 2005. Between those years he won a slew of games and I got to go to that beautiful part of southeast Wisconsin at least once year to watch his teams do their magic. Keith's team won the large school state championship in 2004. What a thrill for him and for me, too, as I watched the clock tick down at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Did I mention that he was elected to the Wisconsin Coaches Hall of Fame? After the 2005 season Coach Hensler retired from Mukwonago but a few months later was brought out of retirement to be an assistant at Ripon College. Ripon ends their season next week and Keith told me this is "probably" going to be it for him.
Keith is truly unique. Since I was in the profession for twenty years I feel more than qualified to write on this subject. I have never met a coach who didn't have an ego. To one degree or another they range from small to bigger than huge. With all of his successes, honors and accolades Keith's remains in the small category and that's what makes him such a gentleman. I've always marveled at what makes him so contented. To him, a great time is going to a minor league baseball game and having a beer and a brat. I've heard him say that the thing he looks most forward to when he goes to the county fair is to have a corn dog. Good Lord, how wonderful and Midwest is that? One of his favorite sayings when he's happiest is, "it warms the cockles of me heart". Now, in his mid-sixties, the really important things in his life are his wife, Mary, two children and four grandchildren. That's the way it should be. Keith is one of my all time favorite golf buddies: As both a partner or an adversary because in both cases I have more fun than anyone should be allowed to have.


I have never, not once, heard Coach Hensler say one bad word about anyone. I have never heard anyone say a bad word about Keith.
I'm more than happy that Coach Hensler is my friend and those young men who had him for their coach feel the same way, too. He'll be embarrassed when he reads this but I just felt it's something that needed to be out there.