FORMER DRAGON RUSHING LEGEND STILL RUNNING TO DAYLIGHT

By Larry Scott

Years later, the debate still rages, who was the greatest runningback of them all at State? The choices are tempting, with votes usually distributed between Troy Hendricks, Grover Moore, George Spanish, Randy Sullivan and Mike Quirk.

When the game was at full throttle, Hendricks was always at his best. He was on center stage during the golden age of Dragon football in the 1980s, and he still continues to run to daylight as a successful high school coach.

A native of Bemidji and a four-year starter at Minnesota State Moorhead, Hendricks ranks second on the MSUM career rushing chart with 3,734 yards, trailing only Moore (4,059). Sullivan (3,515), Quirk (3,486) and Spanish (3,103) fill the top five spots.

Hendricks is second in scoring, 124, and third in rushing, 1,384, for single season production. A second team NAIA All-American in 1985, he led the nation in rushing, 138.4, and scoring, 12.4 ppg, as a junior and reached a single game highwater mark with a 200-yard rushing harvest against Southwest State University. In all, he reached the 100-yard plateau a whopping 20 times.

He won the Vincent Yatchak Award as the Dragons’ Most Valuable Player as a junior and senior and was named the MVP of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference in 1985, one of 10 Dragons to collect such an award in the last 40 years. He was elected co-captain as a senior and earned All-NIC honors as a junior.

A well-decorated schoolboy athlete at Bemidji High School, Hendricks was pursued by Moorhead State head coach Ross Fortier, but opted instead for University of North Dakota and a collegiate wrestling career.

“UND offered me a free ride and paid my books to wrestle there,” said Hendricks. Still, all was not joyful. “My parents were going through a divorce, and money was tough, then shortly after being there, two of the wrestling assistants sent around a petition to the wrestlers to get rid of the old head coach. I said I don’t need this, and I also missed football real bad.”

Still, Hendricks had dreams of filling a role in the North Dakota offensive backfield.

“I had set up an interview with (head football coach) Pat Behrns. It wouldn’t cost him a football scholarship since I was wrestling, but he wasn’t real nice to me in terms of giving me a fair shake. It was one of those ‘I didn’t recruit you and I don’t know if you would be of any real value to us’ kind of things.”

It was time for fallback plan B. “I called Ross out of the blue and enrolled after Christmas break,” Hendricks said. He quickly became a fixture in the Dragon starting lineup as a freshman, joining Sullivan in the offensive backfield, and the torch of rushing leader would be seamlessly passed from Sullivan to Hendricks.

“I was always big in goals, so whatever Sully was doing---the bench press or the 40 (yard dash), yards gained or touchdowns---he set the bar so that I just tried to accomplish what Randy was doing. It was always right in front of my face; I could see what was being accomplished so I just wanted to keep this thing rolling and just do what Randy had done.”

“When Randy Sullivan and Troy were in the same backfield we had the best backfield in MSU history and maybe in the conference and the State of Minnesota, including the Gophers,” said Fortier.

“As a player, he was smart, hardworking, durable and dedicated. He was a powerful running back with good moves, big enough to play fullback and fast enough to play halfback. He also was a good receiver. He was a team leader and well respected by teammates and coaches.”

“Troy was also a very good student,” Fortier said. “He graduated in four years and then got his MS degree at NDSU. He later served as an assistant coach for us and was natural as a coach.”

It was the best of times for Dragon football during Hendricks stay. A run at the NIC title was an annual expectation, and post-season playoff dreams flourished every season. Hendricks admits there was much to be grateful about. “The national playoff game with Central Arkansas was big, and so was starting my first game as a freshman,” Hendricks said. “I got the starting nod against (Nebraska) Kearney, and that was one I’ll never forget.”

Although Hendricks’ senior season was marred by injuries, he exited with a batch of records and respect from the National Football League.

“I was signed by the Seattle Seahawks. I received information from about 24 teams, and they urged me to stay healthy, but my senior year was just a disaster. I got nicked up against Kearney at home, and it just went from there. I was trying to avoid people and people were hitting me instead of me hitting them. I tore the ligament that keeps the tibia and fibia together.”

“That was also the year of the scab games in the NFL, and Ross told me both the Vikings and Cowboys were interested in signing me, but I could hardly get out of bed because of tendinitis and said no.”

Fortier’s legacy continues to impact Hendricks today.

“I took a ton of things from Ross, his demeanor and the way he carried himself is the same way I try and carry myself,” said Hendricks. “He was as much a father figure as anything for me. Just a no-nonsense approach, he never let one win or one loss be too big. It was always about looking forward and maintaining that same intensity and desire, and as a coach, I try and do the same thing.”

Hendricks put professional football in his rearview mirror and got on with the rest of his life. After a coaching stop at Buffalo High School, he returned to Bemidji. He left the BHS program to enter private business, but returned to Bemidji this year as head football coach and a middle school administrator. He prodded his injury-ravaged Lumberjacks to a 6-6 record and a trip to the quarter-finals of the 2009 Minnesota State Class AAA championships this fall.

“As I tell the kids today, it doesn’t matter if you’re a starter or non-starter or if things aren’t exactly going your way, coping skills are something we as a society need to learn. You’re going to get punched in the mouth at various times throughout your life, and you need to know how to react and respond.”

He and his wife Sue, a former track letterwinner at State, reside in Bemidji with three children, Abby, 18, a three-sport captain, Mitch, 16, the ‘Jacks’ starting quarterback as a sophomore, and James, 12.

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WEINZIERL WON’T FORGET THE REMARKABLE RUN IN 2000

By Larry Scott

Even by the lofty standards that define the intercollegiate volleyball program at Minnesota State University Moorhead, 2000 was something special, a season rich in memories not soon to be forgotten.

For some, like Amy Weinzierl Baasch, the recollections will last forever.

One of four seniors that provided solid bedrock, Weinzierl helped the Dragons and head coach Tammy Blake-Kath capture a rare Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Championship, forge a remarkable 28-4 record and advance to the NCAA Division II North Central Region tournament for the first time.

MSUM rattled off nine straight victories to open the season before hitting a mid-season speed bump of three losses in a five-match span. Nationally-ranked North Dakota State University rescued a five-game victory to end the Dragons’ perfect start, and University of Minnesota Duluth sent the Dragons reeling in four games in early January.

Despite the hiccup, the Dragons closed the regular season in a rush with 17 straight games, and Weinzierl and her senior pals still had something special in mind.

“I think we knew it when we started the season playing so well,” said Weinzierl. “Then we went to Duluth and played terrible, that was the turning point in our season. We had been playing well up to that point but we were taking a lot of games for granted, but after losing to Duluth as badly as we did, it caused us to refocus. It made us realize we had to work even harder if we wanted to make it to regionals.”

“When we played Duluth and beat them in five the second time around in a game that seemed to go on forever, we knew we had stepped up our play. After that win, we still were a long shot because we had lost to Duluth so badly and also had a loss to NDSU. We needed some help from other teams in the conference, and Northern (State) defeated Duluth in five the last game of the season which placed us ahead of them in the standings. I remember waking up that Sunday and checking the paper and being in shock to see Duluth had lost. That's when we knew we would make it into the regionals.”

The reward was an invitation to the most difficult of the eight regional tournaments, with a field that included North Central Conference powers Augustana College, the soon-to-be crowned national champion, North Dakota State, South Dakota State and Nebraska-Omaha.

Nebraska-Omaha sent the Dragons packing with a 15-10, 13-15, 15-6, 15-9 victory in the opening round.

“Losing at regionals was obviously very disappointing because we had worked so hard all year and felt we didn't play up to the level we were capable of,” Weinzierl said. “Also it was a realization that not only was my volleyball career over, but this was the last game this team would play together.”

A four-year starter, Weinzierl ranked second on the club in kills, 2.68, and blocks, 115, during the 2000 campaign. She was named to the All-NSIC team as a senior and collected NSIC All-Academic honors as a junior and senior. She also has fond memories of her Dragon crew of yesteryear.

“We had a great nucleus that had been playing together for four years,” Weinzierl said. “Four of our starters had been starting off and on since we were freshmen so we had a lot of experience, and we were not only teammates but good friends off the court as well. We had lots of ups and downs as far as winning went, but I think that helped us become stronger as a group and taught us how to fight when games got tough.”

“During spring ball the year before, we decided as a team we needed to work harder in the off-season if we wanted to see our full potential in the regular season. Coach worked our butts off in morning practices three days a week all spring which carried into the summer. As a team, we came into fall practice in the best shape we had ever been which I think set the tone for the rest of the season.”

A native of Bottineau, ND, Weinzierl cast her lot with the Dragons in 1997.

“I wanted to go to a (NCAA) Division II school, and the Dragons were the only school that offered me a decent scholarship,” said Weinzierl. “When I did my try-out, all the girls and coaches were very friendly and welcoming. I also wanted to go somewhere close to home but not to close, and when I did my tour, I felt very comfortable on campus. I liked that MSUM had a small school atmosphere plus a great teaching program.”

While the memories are swell, the lessons learned from a committed collegiate athletic experience have paid dividends for Weinzierl as well.

“Being in sports helped me learn what can happen if you work hard. Sports taught me how to work with a team, and while I didn't always get along with every person on every team, I learned how to put those differences aside when we stepped on the court. I feel this has helped me in life when dealing with people not only in my personal life but also my professional life.”

“Sports also taught me how to be mentally tough and push myself out of my comfort level to achieve things,” said Weinzierl. “I learned setting goals is important and how to work to achieve those goals. Playing volleyball in college also strengthened my love for coaching. I wanted to teach girls, not only about volleyball, but also help them gain some of the same life-long skills I have been given and use in my adult life. I coached volleyball for six years before giving it up to have a family.”

Her stay at MSUM provided some other special benefits as well.

“I made a lot of life-long friendships with my teammates, other student athletes and people I met through my education classes. I met my husband Matt, who played for the Dragon football team, while at MSUM.”

“My husband Matt and I live in West Fargo. We have three kids, son Eli, 4, daughter Kirby, 2, and son Henry, just born in October. I am a second grade teacher at South Elementary in West Fargo.”