Golf team tries to stay positive
Matt Daniels
Issue date: 9/9/09 Section: Sports
The unfortunate and untimely death of Madison Area Technical College Golf coach Jim Thomas was not only a terrible loss for his family, friends, and school, but for the community as a whole. He positively affected the lives of so many people on a daily basis.
"He was great for our student athletes," said Director of Athletics Steve Hauser. "He was a positive mentor, a positive coach, and a real positive guy."
Hauser recalls his relationship with Thomas to be very good, both professionally and as a friend. He remembers that Thomas worked well with his players and was always available to them whether it was between classes or after school.
In 2001 Thomas took over the golf program and enjoyed success in each of his eight seasons as head coach. His teams won eight consecutive Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association (WJCAA) titles. In back-to-back fashion, his teams in 2003 and 2004 finished second in the nation. Those two seasons mark the best finishes the MATC golf team has ever had.
The outstanding coaching job by Thomas was never overlooked as he won NJCAA Region XIII Coach-of-the-Year honors three times and WJCAA Coach-of-the-Year honors all eight times that he qualified for the honor.
The head golf coach before Thomas was Bill Scheer. He was at MATC for nine seasons and won five WJCAA titles. He stepped down at the end of the 2000-2001 season as his focus turned to his duties as the head pro at the Glenway Golf Course in Madison. It was in fact Scheer who recommended that Hauser should offer the golf coach job to Thomas. It was a brilliant idea indeed; the record books and the relationships that Thomas formed over the years tell it all.
It is fitting, in a way, that Scheer returns to MATC after an eight-year absence. Scheer is excited to be coaching once again at MATC. "I am going to try to pick up the program right where it left off," stated Scheer. He will be sharing head coaching duties with Darin Key. Key has worked for two-and-a-half years as an assistant pro at The Bridges Golf Course right next to MATC.
"He was great for our student athletes," said Director of Athletics Steve Hauser. "He was a positive mentor, a positive coach, and a real positive guy."
Hauser recalls his relationship with Thomas to be very good, both professionally and as a friend. He remembers that Thomas worked well with his players and was always available to them whether it was between classes or after school.
In 2001 Thomas took over the golf program and enjoyed success in each of his eight seasons as head coach. His teams won eight consecutive Wisconsin Junior College Athletic Association (WJCAA) titles. In back-to-back fashion, his teams in 2003 and 2004 finished second in the nation. Those two seasons mark the best finishes the MATC golf team has ever had.
The outstanding coaching job by Thomas was never overlooked as he won NJCAA Region XIII Coach-of-the-Year honors three times and WJCAA Coach-of-the-Year honors all eight times that he qualified for the honor.
The head golf coach before Thomas was Bill Scheer. He was at MATC for nine seasons and won five WJCAA titles. He stepped down at the end of the 2000-2001 season as his focus turned to his duties as the head pro at the Glenway Golf Course in Madison. It was in fact Scheer who recommended that Hauser should offer the golf coach job to Thomas. It was a brilliant idea indeed; the record books and the relationships that Thomas formed over the years tell it all.
It is fitting, in a way, that Scheer returns to MATC after an eight-year absence. Scheer is excited to be coaching once again at MATC. "I am going to try to pick up the program right where it left off," stated Scheer. He will be sharing head coaching duties with Darin Key. Key has worked for two-and-a-half years as an assistant pro at The Bridges Golf Course right next to MATC.
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