Coach Petsch was phenomenal. He stayed in his position for 40 years and continued to make things better while taking a personal interest in everyone he worked with.”

Tanya Cook, former Lady Lancer

TORRINGTON – Verl Petsch retired after four decades as a coach and athletic director at Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) in 2014. His staff at EWC, including former Lady Lancer Tanya Cook, decided to organize a retirement party.

Cook played middle blocker for Petsch on EWC’s volleyball team in 1995 and 1996 before going on to a Division I program at Lamar University in Texas. Cook eventually returned to Goshen County and found a job in the EWC athletic department working for her former coach.

Cook reached out to coach Petsch’s former volleyball players and invited them to the retirement party. The event quickly grew a life of its own. What was originally intended as a small office get together turned into a full-blown Lady Lancer reunion, Cook said. 

On the day of the party, former Lady Lancers filled the room to capacity, representing each season Petsch led the team – from the first time he first picked up his whistle in 1974 to the present.

“That was a testament to the relationships [Petsch] built with each of the athletes,” Cook said. “He was phenomenal. He stayed in his position for 40 years and continued to make things better while taking a personal interest in everyone he worked with.”

Four decades of dedication

Coach Petsch grew up in Nebraska and graduated from Morrill High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the University of Wyoming and landed a teaching and coaching job in Bayard, Nebraska.

Within a few years, Petsch returned to the classroom and earned a master’s degree in physical education administration from Chadron State College. Upon graduation, he taught and coached in Rock Springs.

In 1974, Petsch accepted an offer to teach physical education at EWC and was asked by administration to launch the women’s volleyball program, followed by the women’s basketball team a year or two later.

The creation of women’s athletic programs at EWC happened in the wake of federal Title IX legislation in 1972 that prohibited discrimination in education and activities based on gender. 

Title IX stipulated universities and colleges receiving federal funds must provide athletic opportunities that “equally reflect the competitive abilities of male and female athletes,” the U.S. Department of Education stated, leading to the establishment of women’s college sports.

Petsch advocated for women’s athletics throughout his career, his son Lance Petsch said. 

“My father fought for women’s athletics and opposed any efforts to take (resources) away from women’s sports to promote men’s sports,” Lance added.

Lance recalled a story repeated by his mother, Bonnie, about his father’s first week coaching girls’ track in Bayard in the late 1960s.

Petsch arrived for the first day of practice at the track and asked where the girls were warming up. Another coach told Petsch the girls were at the park because the boys were using the track, along with the jumping pits, throwing rings and equipment.

Petsch refused to accept that response.

“My dad found the boys’ track coach and had a talk with him,” Lance recalled.

Petsch convinced the boys’ coach to share the space and went to gather the girls from the park.

“We’ll be at the track from now on,” Petsch told his athletes.

EWC appointed Petsch as athletic director at the college in 1979. Petsch continued to teach and coach volleyball, although he ultimately gave up basketball coaching to watch his sons grow up, Lance said.

Petsch’s career at the helm of the volleyball team gained momentum in the 1990s, Lance recalled.

“My father really had things going in the 90s,” Lance said. “EWC’s volleyball program was a nationally known contender and was consistently ranked in the top 20.”

Under Petsch’s leadership, the Lady Lancers captured six NJCAA Region IX championships and placed fifth at the national tournament in 1996 and 1998.

In 1998, the NJCAA inducted Petsch into its Volleyball Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony coincided with the Lady Lancers’ regional championship in Utah that year.

“The whole team was there for the induction,” Lance said. “The whole family was there too. I was helping coach the team as an assistant and my brother Wayne was a trainer for the team.”

Over the course of Petsch’s career, the Lady Lancers tallied 1,085 wins – the second-highest record for all-time career victories in NJCAA  volleyball history.

Petsch coached 17 all-American players, 66 all-Region IX athletes and 30 players who earned NJCAA academic honors. He earned the NJCAA’s Region IX Coach of the Year Award six times and was inducted into the Wyoming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

EWC named its activities center and gym in honor of Petsch in 2002. Upon retirement in 2014, Petsch garnered the NJCAA Loyalty Award – one of only 22 individuals to receive the award in the program’s history.

Petsch chose to make his home in Goshen County, despite the best efforts by recruiters from larger institutions to lure the talented and successful coach away.

“My dad was contacted numerous times to leave EWC, but he turned each of those offers down,” Lance said. “He liked where he was at and enjoyed Torrington.”

Respect is a two-way street

Brandy Thaler Evans played right-side hitter on the volleyball court for Petsch in 1999 and 2000. By then, Petsch’s positive reputation was well-established.

“The only reason I came to EWC was to play for coach Petsch,” Evans said. “He had just been inducted into the [NJCAA] coaches’ hall of fame. It was an honor to get to play for him.”

Petsch was known for winning, and the 1999 and 2000 seasons were “great” years for the Lady Lancers, Evans recalled, with the team setting a record for a winning streak of 22 or 23 victories.

Petsch was also highly regarded for treating players with respect. He dedicated untold hours to the program and expected the same work ethic from his players, Evans said.

“[Petsch] knew how to coach and get the most out of his players,” Evans added. “He knew when to get on us and when to put his arm around us. You worked extra hard because you didn’t want to disappoint him. There was a great deal of respect that went both ways.”

Petsch’s passion for volleyball often showed on the court, but he always maintained his composure with players and officials.

“I remember one time he didn’t agree with a call,” Evans added. “He very quietly took his glasses off and handed them to the ref. He didn’t make a scene out of it – he just let them know he didn’t agree with the call. He always had our backs and would stand up for the rules and encourage us to play hard.”

Cook agreed with Evans’ statements. Petsch helped write the rules for NJCAA women’s volleyball. If all else failed during a particularly “feisty,” but respectful, debate between the coach and an official, Petsch could quote from the book verbatim, Cook said.

Cook recalled one game when a referee insisted on a call. Petsch calmly retrieved a copy of the rule book and opened it.

“I wrote that rule,” Cook recalled Petsch saying. “It’s on page 27 in the gray box near the bottom of the page.”

Petsch also permitted discussion among his team and listened to his players. On occasion, Cook and Petsch found themselves locked in a “passionate” discussion about a particular play. They would go and watch film. Typically, Petsch was right. On the rare occasion that he was not right, he accepted his error gracefully, Cook recalled.

Petsch ran a tight ship on the volleyball court and practices were known for a high level of organization and efficiency.

“Coach was old school, but it worked because he wouldn’t demand more than he put in,” Cook said. “Coach expected you to work hard on the court and go to class. You were a student first and an athlete second.”

Petsch’s passion for student-athletes extended to his role as athletic director, Cook said.

“He loved what he did – not just as a volleyball coach, but as an athletic director as well,” Cook noted. “He cared about each sport – basketball, rodeo, golf … He knew the names of each of the athletes.”

An extended family

Both Evans and Cook described the EWC volleyball team under Petsch’s helm as an extended family. Petsch and his wife, Bonnie, took each player under their wings.

“They got 12 new daughters each season,” Cook said. 

Evans grew up in LaGrange and remembered sitting down to sign for EWC her senior year. Petsch attended the signing and turned to Evans’ parents with words of reassurance:

“I know you are close by, but I want [your daughter] to call me if she needs anything,” Evans recalled Petsch saying. “Flat tire – help of any kind. She is now my daughter and I’m taking your place. I’ll take good care of her.”

Lance Petsch also recalled a family atmosphere on the court.

“I grew up around the game of volleyball,” Lance said. “I remember sitting on that bench at games with the volleyball team when I was old enough to sit still and behave. Every year, we had 12 new sisters.”

Petsch fostered relationships with former players that outlasted the time each athlete played at EWC.

“His coaching didn’t end after two seasons,” Cook said. “I don’t know how many weddings of former players he and Bonnie went to. He attended many of my kid’s games. He and Bonnie always sent Christmas cards.”

Local recruitment

Petsch insisted on filling his rosters with local athletes. He bucked the growing trend in collegiate sports to seek athletes from abroad and found home-grown talent in Nebraska, Wyoming and northeastern Colorado, Lance said.

Cook hailed from rural Nebraska and joined a Lady Lancer roster with five other Nebraskans.

“Coach believed community colleges were places to give local kids opportunities to get an education,” Cook said. “He believed in giving these kids a chance to go to school and play volleyball. I really appreciate coach Petsch – I was a small-town Nebraska girl and he gave me a chance.”

Many Lady Lancers under Petsch went on to play Division I, II or III volleyball at four-year colleges, Cook said. A considerable number of Lady Lancers pursued careers as teachers and coaches, she added.

Evans also expressed gratitude to Petsch. 

“[Petsch] won a lot of games with just us farm and ranch kids,” Evans said. “We were proud to hold our own when a lot of the other colleges were recruiting from farther away.”

The home-grown volleyball team filled the stands at both home and away games.

“We had a great following,” Cook said. “I think we even broke an attendance record.”

Evans agreed, “Coach understood and encouraged hometown pride.”

Cook and Evans both credited Bonnie for making Petsch’s 40-year career possible.

“Coach kept us in line and Bonnie kept coach in line,” Cook said.

Bonnie attended each home game and most away games, in addition to hosting team dinners, Evans added.

Lance realized he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. He served as an assistant coach for the Lady Lancers and worked as an intermural and activities director at EWC for nearly two decades.

“It was a great experience to spend so much time with my dad,” Lance said. 

Today, Lance teaches physical education at Trail Elementary in Torrington and coaches middle school basketball and volleyball.