St. Thomas Athletic Director Steve Fritz will receive one of three Outstanding Service Awards from the National Association of Basketball Coaches Saturday in Atlanta.
Fritz, who is also a former St. Thomas men’s basketball coach, will be honored at the Division III meeting during the annual convention for his valuable actions both on and off the court.
Fritz compiled a 594-246 record in 31 seasons and has worked with the university’s athletic program for more than 40 years. In his span as player and coach, he participated in 1,199 consecutive St. Thomas games, and his teams won nearly 70 percent of the contests. Fritz was selected as MIAC Coach of the Year 14 times and named National Coach of the Year in 2010-2011 after winning the university’s only men’s basketball national championship.
Fritz said he was given the award last year, but was unable to make the presentation ceremony. He said it was still an honor.
“It’s a nice award because it’s from your peers. It’s from the National Association of Basketball Coaches which is an organization that I belonged to throughout my coaching career,” Fritz said.
Current men’s basketball coach John Tauer has not only worked with Fritz, but he also played for him during his undergraduate time at St. Thomas.
“It’s a well-deserved recognition. You think about how his career ended winning the national championship and then this award comes a couple years later,” Tauer said. “Rarely do you see someone who does a consistently excellent job.”
Senior guard Will DeBerg played under Fritz for two seasons and echoed Tauer’s opinion.
“He is very deserving of it. He doesn’t talk about it much, but his actions speak louder than words,” DeBerg said.
Fritz’s commitment to athletes and exemplifying the Division III mission is what senior guard John Nance said makes Fritz a perfect candidate for the award.
“I’m fortunate enough to play under such a prestigious coach like Coach Fritz,” Nance said. “He is very deserving of the service award for his work on the court as a coach and the work he puts in as an athletic director for other sports at St. Thomas.”
Senior forward Drew Mathews said the awards “show that Fritz is far more than just a basketball coach.”
“He may have used basketball as a tool to teach people about life, but his examples off the court solidify his teachings even more,” Mathews said. “He has also shown … a genuine interest in all of his players in more than just the game of basketball.”
Fritz is more than qualified for the award in Tauer’s opinion.
“It’s always nice to see someone get recognition for something I consider a lifetime achievement,” Tauer said. “To spend four decades doing something you love and helping young people is inspirational.”