Decades of sustained success leads to Hall call for Gottsleben

To the surprise of no one who has spent any time following University of South Dakota athletics over the last 30 years or so, Dave Gottsleben is going into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame.

It is an invitation to flex a little if he wishes. If he seizes that opportunity when it’s time for him to talk about his career at USD, that’s where the surprise will come. It’s not his way. 

This is much more a legacy built with thoughtful humility than the old-time clichés, exclamation points, extra laps and penalty pushups we often associate with college coaches who have excelled at what they do for a long time.

All those years, though. It’s still a call for some reflection, right?

“I grew up in Montrose, South Dakota, so having aspirations of being the head track coach at the University of South Dakota was quite a daunting thought,” Gottsleben said. “But we did it, and 35 years later I can say it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I don’t know if you ever reflect on anything other than keeping your head above water – just trying to do the best we can every day. Hopefully with those kinds of aspirations, it works out for you.”

It did in this case for both the head track coach and for a university that saw its men’s and women’s track and field programs become examples of what a little gumption and insight – often in the absence of gaudy financial support – can mean to a college.

He became the track coach at USD in 1984. After running track and graduating from South Dakota State, he spent time as a teacher and coach at Menno High School, then went on to coach track at Dakota State prior to being hired by USD athletic director Jack Doyle. 

He’s since then worked under seven ADs and seven USD presidents.

“The commitment of all of them had a pretty wide range,” Gottsleben said. “We had several who were very committed and involved with the school. You have to respect what they’re doing and thinking. Without ADs and presidents supporting your program, you’re probably not going to go very far.”

If the plan at the hall of fame ceremony is to list all of Gottsleben’s honors and accomplishments, it might be smart to start the proceedings a little earlier than normal. There is a lot of material to get through.

He has won 20 conference championships at USD and has twice been named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Association. He was his league’s coach of the year 17 times in three different conferences. His athletes have earned 125 All-America awards, seven NCAA individual titles and 13 NCAA runner-up finishes.

It goes on, but let’s get cut to the quick here: He’s already been enshrined in the halls of fame for the Sioux City Relays, the Drake Relays, the Howard Wood Relays, the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame and, most recently, the SDCCTFCA Hall of Fame.

It’s important to note that those decades involved a paradigm shift when the Coyote athletic programs moved from Division II to Division I in 2007. It was going to dramatically change the way everyone at USD went about their business, from the students to the president. Long overlooked to that point – in part because they’d had plenty of success without one – was that the Coyotes did not have an outdoor track.

In 2016 that changed. 

“(President) Jim Abbott told us he wanted it to be part of the front porch of the University,” Gottsleben said. “I think if you drive by Highway 50 now, you know that’s the case. Operating without one was a challenge, but we did pretty well with it.”

Though many would have predicted the decline of USD track during the transition, the opposite was the case. Gottsleben and women’s coach Lucky Huber kept getting student-athletes from the region and they kept doing well. Some of them really well.

“It has been a great thing for our kids,” Gottsleben said. “They got to travel all over the country. We were going to New York, California, Texas – fun places… I was initially a little concerned and scared but it’s been pretty seamless. We have the commitment from the University to thank for that.”

It’s clear that sustained success tends to get conspicuous after a few decades. People start recognizing it. You get along with your superiors, figure out kids as well as possible, take it all on a day-to-day, and all of sudden you’re in halls of fame all over the place.

“If you treat people – kids, parents and whoever else you’re working with – with respect, in most cases you’re going to get respect back,” Gottsleben said. “I don’t think there is any magic formula. I don’t think kids have changed that much even though some will tell you they have…I’ve been fortunate to have some good kids who stayed committed. That’s something I can reflect on, I guess. You see young people come into a university setting and see them work hard. I’ve been humbled to be part of that process. And once they leave, they go on to do great things. They’re parents, business people, lawyers, doctors. Whatever they go on to become, you’re proud that you were a part of it.”

Kendra Gottsleben, Dave’s daughter, has a rare disorder called Mucopolysaccharidosis, Type VI (MPS VI). She is the marketing communications specialist at the Center for Disabilities within the Sanford School of Medicine. She is also founder and executive director of Rare by Design, a nonprofit organization that works towards creating awareness, inclusion and representation for individuals with a rare disease and disability.

She has a resume, at age 37, that rivals her father’s. 

“She was born with a pretty challenging life struggle, but her health is probably as good as it’s ever been,” he said. “She’s written three books. She has put on a fashion show for the state of South Dakota for people with disabilities...She has done all kinds of things. She’s extremely accomplished for someone who is 37 regardless of her health issues.”

It’s obvious that it’s very difficult for the ol’ track coach to speak of Kendra without getting emotional, even when the message is intended to be light-hearted. 

“She’s pretty special,” he said. “In my speech, I’ll talk about her. Back when she was in kindergarten, everyone knew her as Dave’s daughter. Now when I go out it’s ‘Oh, you’re Kendra’s father.’ Life has changed quite a bit in that way.”