Varsity wrestling coach Mr. Dale Eggert reached 500 wins in wrestling on January 4. Not many coaches are able to do this because they stop coaching before reaching that milestone.
Mr. Eggert has coached wrestling for 36 years. He started his coaching career in 1979 at LHS as assistant coach for nine years. Then in 1988, Mr. Eggert took over the wrestling program at LHS. This adds up to 27 years total that Mr. Eggert has been the head coach at LHS.
January 4 was the date Mr. Eggert got his 500 wins. This happened at Schaumburg High School. Going into the meet, Mr. Eggert had 497 wins. They won the first match of the day against Crystal Lake South, 55-16. Then, they defeated Naperville Central 59-18. Finally, the beat Schaumburg 49-17 to give Mr. Eggert his 500 wins.
Senior Steve Polakowski, a three-year varsity wrestler, is proud of his coach and really thinks he deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest coaches.
“Being on the team with his 500 wins is something really special,” he said. “He’s one of the best coaches ever in Illinois and his 500 wins show that.”
Polakowski really enjoys wrestling for Mr. Eggert and couldn’t imagine wrestling for any other person. He is thankful to have such a passionate coach that really cares about his team.
“He just knows how to develop a team better than any other coach,” he said. “He can take kids that have no talent and by the end of the year, they can be good. He just really knows what he is doing.”
On Friday, January 10, there was a ceremony at LHS, which before the varsity meet against Warren, where Mr. Briant Kelly, athletic director at LHS, congratulated him on his 500 wins. Coach Eggert was given a poster that had “500” on it as well as a shirt that had a 500 on the top right corner. Mr. Eggert thanked his parents, wife, fellow coaches, and of course, his wrestlers for always supporting him. He is very thankful that Mr. Kelly, Dr. Marina Scott (principal), and Dr. Prentiss Lea (superintendent) have let him continue being the head coach of wrestling after retiring at the end of the 2012 school year.
“I can see myself coaching for many more years because I enjoy it so much,” Mr Eggert said.
Mr. Eggert has always put his wrestlers first and will to do anything to make them improve. He truly cares about them and loves watching every wrestler improve each and every year.
“I have absolutely no future goals for head coaching wins, that has never been my focus. My only focus each year is on doing everything I can to help the team develop as much as possible throughout the season. Dual meets are one way of developing a team,” he said.
