University of St. Thomas Athletics
Volleyball head coach Thanh Pham starts season No. 21 this summer
Photo by: Mark Brown
Gene's Blog: Head coaches' long tenures puts Toms in rare air
6/22/2023 2:44:00 PM | Volleyball, Gene's Blog
Continuity across your coaching staffs is a good thing for a university. The Tommies' new Division I athletics department stands out nationally on several fronts, including its leadership and experience across many of its head coaching roles.
In fact, St. Thomas is the lone university out of 363 NCAA Division I athletic departments that can make this claim: The lone D-I institution with head coaches in seven team sports of Football, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer and Basketball that all have been in their current roles at their school for 11 or more seasons.
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Sinn coached her 500th game with the Tommies last March. She's tied for the 22nd longest tenure among all D-I women's hoops head coaches, the second longest run among the nine Summit League WBB coaches.
McGill will coach her 300th game at St. Thomas early this season, her 25th in college soccer as a player, assistant or head coach. She has the longest tenure at her school of the nine Summit League women's soccer head coaches.
Tauer will surpass 350 games with the Purple next winter. He's tied for the 40th longest tenure among all D-I men's hoops head coaches, and the longest tenure in his sport in the nine-team Summit League.
Olean is on pace to coach his 600th game here in 2024. He's tied for the 58th longest tenure among all D-I baseball head coaches, and the longest tenure in his sport in The Summit League.
Caruso will surpass 175 Tommie games next fall. He's tied for the 17th longest tenure among all D-I football head coaches (ninth in FCS), and is the second longest in the Pioneer League. He's on a short list of coaches to work as either a head coach or coordinator for NCAA D-I, II and III teams. This fall Caruso will coach against two of D-I's three longest tenured head coaches in Marist's Jim Parady (starting 32nd season) and Harvard's Tim Murphy (starting 30th season).
Pham will surpass 650 matches here next fall. He has the longest tenure among the nine Summit League volleyball head coaches.
Lowery coached his 200th game at St. Thomas late last season. He's the second longest tenured Summit League head coach in men's soccer.
All seven coaches led St. Thomas teams to multiple top-five national finishes while in Division III, led by Pham's 2012 national title and Tauer's 2016 NCAA crown. The seven have combined to coach more than 2,700 matches and games in their St. Thomas careers.
Did You Know?
Summit Women's Basketball Head Coaches (years in current role in parenthesis):
Summit Baseball Head Coaches:
Alma Maters
St. Thomas is one of just five Division I institutions that currently has both its head men's and women's basketball coach who played for their university programs as undergrads. The other four D-I programs in that situation are Purdue, Syracuse, Southern Miss and Maine.
Sinn (1980-84) and Tauer (1991-95) are in the St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame after strong playing careers where they helped their teams breakthrough on the conference and regional level.
Memory Lane
Football's Sept. 9 non-conference clash at the University of South Dakota will bring back some interesting memories for St. Thomas -- and for Caruso.
The Purple's three all-time meetings vs. USD were all played in Vermillion -- in 1922, 1970 and 1979. The latter clash was the debut game of USD's Dakota Dome facility, a 22-6 win for the Coyotes. The 1922 game was a 12-0 South Dakota home win -- the lone loss in an 8-1 season for St. Thomas. The 1922 Tommies outscored foes 222-10 in their eight victories.
Caruso worked as offensive coordinator on the South Dakota staff in 2004 and 2005 before taking the Macalester College head coaching post in 2006. His 2005 USD team ranked first nationally in Division II in scoring, total offense and red-zone efficiency. Caruso's starting QB, Wes Beschorner, took second in the D-III National Player of the Year voting after throwing 47 TD passes with just four interceptions for a 215.0 QB efficiency rating, one of the best in NCAA history.
Top of the List
Men's Cross Country's Pete Wareham remains St. Thomas' longest tenured head coach as he starts his 31st season this fall. He took over the program leadership for the 1993 season from his former coach and mentor Larry 'Doc' Russ.
Wareham is also St. Thomas' longest tenured athletic department employee. His Hall of Fame affiliation with St. Thomas began as a distance runner here in 1981 as he went on to become a six-time All-American and a member of the 1984 CC and 1995 indoor track and field national champion teams as a senior.
In fact, St. Thomas is the lone university out of 363 NCAA Division I athletic departments that can make this claim: The lone D-I institution with head coaches in seven team sports of Football, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer and Basketball that all have been in their current roles at their school for 11 or more seasons.
- Thanh Pham is starting his 21st season overseeing Tommie Volleyball
- Ruth Sinn is starting her 19th season leading Tommie Women's Basketball
- Sheila McGill is starting her 17th season directing Tommie Women's Soccer
- Glenn Caruso is starting his 16th season guiding Tommie Football
- Chris Olean is starting his 14th season leading Tommie Baseball
- Johnny Tauer is starting his 13th season guiding Tommie Men's Basketball.
- Jon Lowery is starting his 12th season leading Tommie Men's Soccer.
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Sinn coached her 500th game with the Tommies last March. She's tied for the 22nd longest tenure among all D-I women's hoops head coaches, the second longest run among the nine Summit League WBB coaches.
McGill will coach her 300th game at St. Thomas early this season, her 25th in college soccer as a player, assistant or head coach. She has the longest tenure at her school of the nine Summit League women's soccer head coaches.
Tauer will surpass 350 games with the Purple next winter. He's tied for the 40th longest tenure among all D-I men's hoops head coaches, and the longest tenure in his sport in the nine-team Summit League.
Olean is on pace to coach his 600th game here in 2024. He's tied for the 58th longest tenure among all D-I baseball head coaches, and the longest tenure in his sport in The Summit League.
Caruso will surpass 175 Tommie games next fall. He's tied for the 17th longest tenure among all D-I football head coaches (ninth in FCS), and is the second longest in the Pioneer League. He's on a short list of coaches to work as either a head coach or coordinator for NCAA D-I, II and III teams. This fall Caruso will coach against two of D-I's three longest tenured head coaches in Marist's Jim Parady (starting 32nd season) and Harvard's Tim Murphy (starting 30th season).
Pham will surpass 650 matches here next fall. He has the longest tenure among the nine Summit League volleyball head coaches.
Lowery coached his 200th game at St. Thomas late last season. He's the second longest tenured Summit League head coach in men's soccer.
All seven coaches led St. Thomas teams to multiple top-five national finishes while in Division III, led by Pham's 2012 national title and Tauer's 2016 NCAA crown. The seven have combined to coach more than 2,700 matches and games in their St. Thomas careers.
Did You Know?
- St. Thomas Men's Hoops has only had three head coaches over the last 71 seasons (Tom Feely, Steve Fritz and Tauer).
- St. Thomas Men's Soccer has only had three head coaches over the last 44 seasons (Denzil Lue, Aarom Macke and Lowery).
- St. Thomas Women's Hoops has only had three head coaches over the last 40 seasons (Ted Riverso, Tricia Dornisch and Sinn).
- St. Thomas Women's Soccer has only had four head coaches over the last 38 seasons (Joe Kryschyshen, Tricia Dornisch, Colleen Carey and McGill).
- St. Thomas Baseball has only had two head coaches over the last 29 seasons (Dennis Denning, Olean).
- Not counting one season with an interim coach, St. Thomas Volleyball has only had three head coaches over the last 41 seasons (Dave Orren, Cole Tallman, Pham).
- St. Thomas Football has only had two head coaches over the last 26 seasons (Don Roney, Caruso).
Summit Men's Basketball Head Coaches (years in current role in parenthesis):
- Johnny Tauer, St. Thomas (starting 13th season)
- David Richmond, North Dakota State (starting 10th season)
- Eric Henderson, South Dakota State (starting fifth season)
- Paul Sather, North Dakota (starting fifth season)
- Jeff Wulbrun, Denver (starting third season)
- Eric Peterson, South Dakota (starting second season)
- Chris Crutchfield, Omaha (starting second season)
- Marvin Menzies, Kansas City (starting second season)
- Russell Springmann, Oral Roberts (starting first season)
Summit Women's Basketball Head Coaches (years in current role in parenthesis):
- Aaron Johnston, South Dakota State (starting 25th season)
- Ruth Sinn, St. Thomas (starting 19th season)
- Jory Collins, North Dakota State (starting fifth season)
- Carrie Banks, Omaha (starting fourth season)
- Mallory Bernhard, North Dakota (starting fourth season)
- Doshia Woods, Denver (starting fourth season)
- Kelsi Musick, Oral Roberts (starting second season)
- Kayla Karius, South Dakota (starting second season
- Dionnah Jackson-Durrett, Kansas City (starting second season)
- Thanh Pham, St. Thomas (starting 21st season)
- Christi Posey, Kansas City (starting 12th season)
- Leanne Williamson, South Dakota (starting ninth season)
- Jennifer Lopez, North Dakota State (starting seventh season)
- Matt Buttermore, Omaha (starting fifth season)
- Dan Georgalas, South Dakota State (starting fourth season)
- Jesse Tupac, North Dakota (starting second season)
- Luke Ward, Oral Roberts (starting first season)
- Megan Pendergast, Denver (starting first season)
- Chris Olean, St. Thomas (starting 14th season)
- Ryan Folmar, Oral Roberts (starting 12th season)
- Evan Porter, Omaha (starting eighth season)
- Rob Bishop, South Dakota State (starting seventh season)
- Tyler Oakes, North Dakota State (starting third season)
- Mike Anderson, Northern Colorado (starting second season)
Summit Women's Soccer Head Coaches (years in current role in parenthesis):
Pioneer Football Head Coaches:
- Sheila McGill, St. Thomas (starting 17th season)
- Brock Thompson, South Dakota State (starting seventh season)
- Chris Logan, North Dakota (starting seventh season)
- Tim Walters, Omaha (starting seventh season)
- Mike Regan, North Dakota State (starting sixth season)
- Michael Thomas, South Dakota (starting sixth season)
- Jess Smith, Kansas City (starting fourth season)
- Austin Risenhoover, Oral Roberts (starting second season)
- Julianne Sitch, Denver (starting first season)
Summit Men's Soccer Head Coaches (years in current role in parenthesis):
- Eric Johnson, Western Illinois (starting 27th season)
- Jon Lowery, St. Thomas (starting 12th season)
- Ryan Bush, Oral Roberts (starting 11th season)
- Jamie Franks, Denver (starting ninth season)
- Ryan Pore, Kansas City (starting fourth season)
- Donovan Dowling, Omaha (starting second season)
- Jim Parady, Marist (32nd season)
- Glenn Caruso, St. Thomas (starting 16th season)
- Rob Tenyer, Morehead State (starting 11th season)
- Scott Abell, Davidson (starting sixth season)
- Todd Stepsis, Drake (starting fifth season)
- Landon Fox, Valparaiso (starting fifth season)
- Brian Young, Stetson (starting third season)
- Mike Uremovich, Butler (starting second season)
- Steve Englehart, Presbyterian (starting second season)
- Trevor Andrews, Dayton (starting first season)
- Brandon Moore, San Diego (starting first season)
Alma Maters
St. Thomas is one of just five Division I institutions that currently has both its head men's and women's basketball coach who played for their university programs as undergrads. The other four D-I programs in that situation are Purdue, Syracuse, Southern Miss and Maine.
Sinn (1980-84) and Tauer (1991-95) are in the St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame after strong playing careers where they helped their teams breakthrough on the conference and regional level.
Memory Lane
Football's Sept. 9 non-conference clash at the University of South Dakota will bring back some interesting memories for St. Thomas -- and for Caruso.
The Purple's three all-time meetings vs. USD were all played in Vermillion -- in 1922, 1970 and 1979. The latter clash was the debut game of USD's Dakota Dome facility, a 22-6 win for the Coyotes. The 1922 game was a 12-0 South Dakota home win -- the lone loss in an 8-1 season for St. Thomas. The 1922 Tommies outscored foes 222-10 in their eight victories.
Caruso worked as offensive coordinator on the South Dakota staff in 2004 and 2005 before taking the Macalester College head coaching post in 2006. His 2005 USD team ranked first nationally in Division II in scoring, total offense and red-zone efficiency. Caruso's starting QB, Wes Beschorner, took second in the D-III National Player of the Year voting after throwing 47 TD passes with just four interceptions for a 215.0 QB efficiency rating, one of the best in NCAA history.
Top of the List
Men's Cross Country's Pete Wareham remains St. Thomas' longest tenured head coach as he starts his 31st season this fall. He took over the program leadership for the 1993 season from his former coach and mentor Larry 'Doc' Russ.
Wareham is also St. Thomas' longest tenured athletic department employee. His Hall of Fame affiliation with St. Thomas began as a distance runner here in 1981 as he went on to become a six-time All-American and a member of the 1984 CC and 1995 indoor track and field national champion teams as a senior.
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Gene's Blog is a sports column penned by Tommie sports information director Gene McGivern. Gene is working his 29th season at St. Thomas and 35th overall with Twin Cities college athletics teams. He blogs periodically on various topics regarding the Tommies and college sports.
If you have comments or questions, e-mail Gene at ejmcgivern@stthomas.edu
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