OTTUMWA — Perry native Brad Stracke will be honored by Indian Hills Community College when he is inducted in the IHCC Hall of Fame at a ceremony Jan. 30.
The IHCC Hall of Fame is in its fifth year of existence and has enshrined 23 former athletes and coaches, along with two other individuals who have been key figures in Warrior athletics. The Class of 2016 includes five total inductees from five different athletic programs whose impact on their respective programs spans four decades.
A 1988 graduate of Perry High School, Stracke was both a student golfer and later men’s golf coach for the Warriors. As a freshman he placed second at the regional tournament and was the conference medalist as a sophomore. His collegiate career continued at Alabama-Birmingham, where he earned all-conference honors.
After spending four years playing professionally, Stracke returned to Indian Hills as head coach, leading the Warriors to the national tournament in each of his nine years at his junior college alma mater. His 2000 team won the national championship, a result which fueled a six-year run in which the Warriors finished no worse than third at the national tournament.
“I am very honored to receive this kind of recognition,” Stracke said. “Not many people get to compete in college athletics, let alone coach them — especially at the same school. This is very flattering and I am looking forward to the ceremony.”
Stracke left IHCC in 2006 to assume assistant coaching duties at the University of Florida, where he remained for three years. He then moved into his present position of head coach at the University of North Texas.
His Mean Green teams have played in the regional tournament in four of six seasons and twice have been conference champions. Four years ago the school finished 28th in the national rankings, their highest-ever finish.
The 2013 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, Stracke was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2015.
The Mean Green roster consists of 10 players, the majority of who receive scholarships. Recruiting has taken Stracke to numerous states, and he has even been to Europe to try and draw players to UNT, which is located in Denton, just northwest of Dallas.
The team plays a fall schedule from late August through October and will begin their spring schedule with a tournament Feb. 8. The squad plays throughout Texas, but has — or will — compete in California, Arizona, Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina among other locations.
He and wife Tammy have two children, a daughter, Mackenzie, who is 14, and a son, Blake, who is 11. He is the son of Don and Martha Stracke of Perry.
