BOYS VOLLEYBALL: Falcons’ coach calls it a career

Schultz guided program since its inception

By Jason Arndt
Editor

Since 2006, when Westosha Central High School started its boys volleyball program, Wayne Schultz was the only head coach the team ever had.

Entering next year, however, the Falcons will be under new direction.

After Tuesday’s sectional semifinal at Racine Horlick, the coach rounded up his team for the last time, and told them of his plans to retire.

Wayne Schultz

Schultz, who guided the Falcons to a 258-95 record through 12 seasons, told the Report following Tuesday’s contest it was time to call it a career after coaching volleyball for 40 total seasons.

“I have been coaching youth athletics since I was 17 years old, so I have got 40 seasons under my belt,” he said. “I started the boys program at Westosha 12 years ago.”

Under Schultz’s direction, Schultz steered the Falcons to a sectional appearance in the program’s second season.

“It is just time, as my children were growing up, I sacrificed them a lot to coach other people’s children and I have grandkids now. I need to spend more time with my family and my grandkids.”

Schultz’s three adult children graduated from Westosha Central and were involved in volleyball programs themselves: Emily, 2005; Abby, 2008; Jim, 2010. His daughters played on state champion teams.

Schultz mulled retirement within the last couple years and discussed the possibility with Athletic Director Jon Lindh.

“It started a couple of years ago, I told my AD I had a couple of seasons left, and it reached that time,” Schultz said.

According to Lindh, Schultz will always have a special place in the history of the program and in the Southern Lakes Conference, which finished its second season.

“If it were not for him being instrumental in starting boys volleyball at Westosha, there is a very good possibility we would not have boys volleyball in our conference,” Lindh said. “He has been with boys volleyball at Westosha since its inception.”

Throughout Schultz’s career, according to Lindh, he has produced multiple state qualifying teams, all state players and conference championships.

Lindh, who plans to post the vacancy after the WIAA season concludes, acknowledged replacing Schultz is a difficult task.

“It will be very difficult to find another coach live up to the exceptions that he had for his athletes,” Lindh said. “He produced great volleyball players and great members of society. His players always played with a passion but never challenged an official over a call.”

Along with his tenure at Westosha Central, Schultz also coached Lakes Community High School boys volleyball in Illinois, where it is a spring sport.

He was also a coach at Milwaukee School of Engineering.


Posted

in

,

by

Tags: