Jack Horenberger, Illinois Wesleyan University Associates Luncheon 1981 - 03 - 06 by Ames2001 published on 2018-07-26T16:50:32Z IWU alumnus Jack Horenberger '36 talks about his past at the Associates Luncheon. He coached IWU baseball from 1942-81 and basketball from 1945-65. IWU's baseball field, dedicated in 1999, is named in his honor. In this talk he describes his upbringing by his mother who opened a delicatessan after his father died. She raised three boys on her own. He went to Marquette University on a basketball scholarship at the age of 17 but wasn't serious about school and dropped out for two years before transferring to IWU. He credits his success to maturing, being ready for college, and having good faculty mentors like business professor Bill Beadles. He also describes how he met his future wife Mary Ann and their courtship. He was a Business and Economics major. He also relates the story of how Branch Rickey advised him to use his college degree instead of pursuing a baseball career. That decision led him to coaching in high schools and then returned to IWU before being drafted into the Navy during WWII. He returned to coaching at IWU and talks about working with veterans and becoming IWU's Athletic Director. He tells stories of hiring Don Larson to be football coach, Bob Keck for track and Dennie Bridges for basketball. Hi advice in hiring practices is to "hire the man" instead of the record. It's more important to hire people who are trainable and loyal to the place they will be working. Horenberger's philosophy is not to complain about officials. The team won't get better if this practice is used as a crutch. Audio interviews he provided are available at https://soundcloud.com/ames2001/horenberger-jack and https://soundcloud.com/ames2001/horenberger-jack-1974-05-06. Videotaped interviews he provided are available at https://vimeo.com/280976634 and https://vimeo.com/280978323. He died on December 1, 2000. A video of his memorial service is available at https://vimeo.com/280975978 This recording was compiled from two sides of a cassette tape and features an abrupt transition, original to the analog format.
