Tjeerdsma to spend retirement with family
By Andrew DeWitt St. Joseph News-Press
MARYVILLE, Mo. — Longtime Northwest Missouri State coach Mel Tjeerdsma fidgeted with his water bottle as President John Jasinski introduced the legendary football coach at a Wednesday morning news conference.
The hall of famer with three national championship rings, 12 MIAA championships and 32 postseason wins at Northwest walked toward the podium, flanked by his 2009 national coach of the year award and a Northwest helmet.
More coverage of Mel Tjeerdsma’s retirement
The end of the 17-year Mel Tjeerdsma era at Northwest arrived on campus. He finished with a 183-43 (.810) record at the university.
The gathering of 100 or so family, friends, coaches, players and former players gave the coach a standing ovation. Wearing his suit and a red-striped tie, Mr. Tjeersdma (pronounced Church-ma) took center stage and said what everyone already knew.
“I’m retiring from coaching, strictly for our family,” he said, looking at his wife, Carol, in the front row. “Right now, we have seven grandchildren.”
Mr. Tjeerdsma said he plans to move with Carol to Texas sometime after spring semester and he doesn’t plan on coaching anymore.
He mentioned possibly applying to be a Hy-Vee grocery store greeter after years of successfully greeting everyone at the Hy-Vee in Maryville, Mo.
Mr. Tjeerdsma hasn’t seen a lot of his grandchildren, and that’s going to change as soon as possible. Two of his daughters live in Texas.
Mr. Tjeerdsma started contacting members of the Bearcat family last Wednesday and met with his coaches. He said he doesn’t anticipate a return to coaching, and that he and Carol will move to Texas after she finishes teaching the spring semester.
“The best thing about Mel Tjeerdsma is that he has no ego,” said defensive coordinator Scott Bostwick, who coached with Mr. Tjeerdsma for 17 years.
Carol Tjeerdsma, who has been with Mel for more than 45 years, remembers the chaos that was their first year in Maryville, with her adjusting to her new job and Mel struggling through an 0-11 first season. “I thought, ‘Oh my, why did we move here?’” she said. “It got a lot better after that.”
Mr. Tjeerdsma spent two hours Wednesday morning meeting and talking to coaches, former players and fans after his press conference. Every now and then, several small children would run up to “Papa Mel” and give him a big hug. With his eyes on the kids for a moment even after they had left, it was obvious that Mr. Tjeerdsma knew it was the right time to walk away from the Northwest powerhouse he had built.
MIAA commissioner Dr. Bob Boerigter, who served as Northwest athletic director from 2001 to 2010, said Mr. Tjeerdsma can do a lot of other things besides coach championship football teams. Mr. Tjeerdsma is a Hall of Fame Track and Field coach, and officiated state high school championship basketball games in Iowa when he coached at Northwestern College.
Mr. Boerigter said Mr. Tjeerdsma’s best attribute as a coach, and what made him successful, is his ability to motivate players and hold them accountable.
One year the Bearcats were depleted at a position, and the backup who would need to play the next week didn’t even travel with the team because of what Mr. Tjeerdsma would call growing-up issues.
“He said he had to get this guy up,” Mr. Boerigter said. “On Wednesday of that week at 6:30 a.m., I was in my office. There was Mel in the arena alone with the player, who’d run a sprint and then walk back. Mel had the flu and he really looked sick, but he was there at 6:30 in the morning for the player to do his punishment so he could get him up and put him in the game.
“That kid had a phenomenal game that week.”
Andrew DeWitt can be reached at andrew.dewitt@newspressnow.com.
