MBCA Hall of Fame to MBCA HALL OF FAME
FOUR NAMED FOR INDUCTION TO MBCA HALL OF FAME
The Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association has named four men who will be inducted into the MBCA Hall of Fame on October 31st. The purpose of the MBCA Hall of Fame is to give special recognition to the people of Minnesota who have made significant contributions to promote high school basketball in the state via their achievements and service.
The 2015 inductees are:
· John Carlson – Litchfield
· Lyle Muth – Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop
· Neal Oscarson – Henning/Deer Creek
· Jack Peterson – Cambridge-Isanti
The induction ceremonies will be held at the MBCA Hall of Fame Luncheon on Saturday, October 31, 2:00 p.m., at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis.
John Carlson
John Carlson became the Head Boys Basketball coach at Litchfield in 1988 and the 2015-16 season will be his 28th season at the helm of the Dragons program. Prior to returning to his alma mater, John served as an Assistant Coach at St. Cloud State. During his 29-year tenure at Litchfield, his teams have won 12 Conference titles and Section Championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2012, and 2013. His ’00, ’02, and ’03 Dragons earned State Championship crowns while the ’12 and ’13 squads advanced to the title games and finished as runners-up. John is a member of the 400 wins club with an overall record of 446-277. Coach Carlson has multiple Section Coach of the Year awards and was honored as State Class AA Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2003. He is also a Past- President of the MBCA and served as a member of the MBCA Executive Board. In addition to his success on the basketball court, John has also experienced great success on the tennis court, leading Litchfield netters to several team and individual championships including the 1989 State Team title. In addition to his coaching on the “courts,” John also served as an Assistant Football Coach.
Lyle Muth
Lyle Muth’s head basketball coaching career began in 1963 at Franklin, SD, his high school alma mater. He served three year stints at Franklin and Chester, SD leading his squads to four conference championships. Lyle became the head hoops coach at Winthrop in 1969 and led the Winthrop and later GFW (Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop) program for the next 31 years. Coach Muth led his Warriors/Thunderbirds to 7 Conference and 2 Section tiles resulting in State Tournament appearances in 1991 and 1992. His Thunderbird squads also carved out a 46 game conference winning streak. He was recognized as Section Coach of the Year on two occasions. Muth retired in 2000 as a member of the 400 wins club with an overall record of 456-261 as a head coach. Retirement was not the end to his basketball coaching career as he just completed his 50th year of coaching by serving as an assistant coach at GFW. Lyle’s service to his schools and communities also includes coaching track, serving as Activities Director, and serving as a City Council member.
Neal Oscarson
Neal Oscarson spent the first three years of his coaching career as an assistant basketball and baseball coach at Belle Plaine. In 1976, he accepted a teaching/coaching position at Deer Creek where he served as an assistant coach in baseball and basketball. When Deer Creek and future Hall of Fame Coach Lynn Peterson moved to Staples-Motley, Neal assumed the reins as the head coach of the Deer Creek program. Deer Creek merged with Wadena in 1987 and Neal returned to the community he helped lead to the 1965 and 1966 State Tournaments by accepting the head basketball coaching position at Henning High School. Coach Oscarson led Deer Creek/Henning squads to eight Conference titles. He earned recognition from his Park Region conference coaching peers in being honored as the recipient of numerous Coach of the Year honors. In addition to coaching boys basketball, Neal also served as an assistant coach in baseball. Oscarson retired from coaching at the conclusion of the 2006 as a member of the 400 Wins Club.
Jack Peterson
Jack Peterson began his basketball coaching career in 1953 as the head coach at Arkansaw, WI. Jack spent five years coaching in Wisconsin (Arkansaw and Boyceville) before moving across the border and beginning his Minnesota coaching career as the head coach at Cosmos. He served two year stints at Cosmos and Waconia before accepting the position as head coach of the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets in 1965. Under his tutelage, the Bluejackets won six Conference titles, two District 16 Championships, a Region 7AA title with a State Tournament appearance, and the consolation championship of the 1978 State AA Tournament. In addition to the championships, the ‘Jackets advanced to five Section Championship tilts during a span of seven years. During a 10 year period spanning the 1968-69 thru 1977-78 seasons, Coach Peterson’s teams amassed an outstanding winning percentage of 78% by compiling an overall record of 179-51 during that time span. Jack retired from teaching and coaching at the conclusion of the 1982 school year with an overall record of 335-201.