For 34 years, Jerry Miller has coached baseball at Austin High School.

Monday, June 04, 2001

For 34 years, Jerry Miller has coached baseball at Austin High School. He was the B squad coach for his first 19 years, and for the last 15 years he has been the head varsity coach.

Miller will be retiring from teaching and coaching at the end of the school year. Miller grew up in Mapleton and is a graduate of Mankato State. He has a degree in health and physical education and a master’s degree in physical education. He played football and baseball when he was growing up, and has been married 34 years to his wife Kris. They have no special plans for retirement.

"I still enjoy baseball, it is just time for something else," Miller said. "I enjoy walking. My wife and I live on an acre and a half on the river and we have plenty to do. My life will be different. I have always had schoolwork and paper work to do and I coached nights. Being a teacher is not just working in the school building, every night of the week I had things to do. Now I am going to let things slide."

The top baseball team Miller coached was the 1990 team. They went to the state tournament and finished second. In 1994 and 1997, the Austin baseball team was runner-up in sections.

"We were beat by Rosemount three times to go to the state tournament. In 1996 I had an excellent team. That was an even better team than the ’94 and ’97 teams. For some reason at tournament time we didn’t make it to state."

Three baseball players who played under Miller – Mike Wuertz, Dave Meyer and Matt Cano – have made it to the minor leagues.

"Certainly the player with the most recognition has been Mike Wuertz," Miller said. "He is in the double-A league with the Cubs. He has a good chance of going to the majors."

There have been good athletes over the years at Austin. Quite a few players have gone on to participate in college baseball. Miller said when students keep playing the game it is a positive experience for a coach. Baseball has always been the No. 1 sport for Miller; but he also coached girls’ basketball for eight years and was varsity coach from 1983 to 1987. And for 12 years he was assistant coach for B squad football.

"The difference between coaching girls and boys is how you approach them mentally," Miller said. "Girls looked at things at a more personal level rather than simply as a team. Guys don’t seem to take things as personal as girls do. That is my experience anyway."

Miller credits the other coaches he has worked with over the years to his success and longevity in the baseball program. He took over the job of head coach from Dick Seltz, and Howie Strey was his assistant for a number of years. His twin brother Jack was his assistant, too, and Randy Smith has joined the staff the last few years as an assistant.

"Baseball has changed so much over the years," Miller recalled. "Baseball is not the No. 1 summer sport anymore. It used to be the game athletes played during the summer. Soccer has become more popular. Lots of the baseball players also participate in hockey and basketball during the winter and they can play these sports during the summer now."

There are not many athletes who play three sports anymore. The three sports that used to be offered were football, basketball and baseball. The really good athletes are specializing in one sport, and only two athletes from Austin were in three sports this year.

"Twenty-five years ago there would have been more students in three sports. I see athletes losing out on experiences," Miller said. "They are only in high school a few years and this is the chance to try other sports."

Miller started the health program at Austin High with Fred Kenny in the 1970s. When it started, sex education was the emphasis, along with drinking and smoking. In his classroom now there are posters about AIDS.

Call Sheila Donnelly at 434-2214 or e-mail her at sports@austindailyherald.com.