Aug. 18, 2007

By Eric Larsen, Times-News

Fred Trenkle wept. It was all too much, even for a man who would go on to coach with such ferocity and conviction that his College of Southern Idaho men's basketball team became nearly unbeatable, winning 137 consecutive home games from 1984 to 1992.

The day was March 3, 1983, and Trenkle wept, his car pulled to the side of one of those never-ending stretches of Oklahoma highway.

It wasn't the 74-66 loss to the University of Houston in a nationally-televised game for the Southwest Conference regular-season title. It wasn't watching Clyde Drexler, Akeem Olajuwon and that Phi Slamma Jamma tear through the University of Arkansas team he coached alongside hoops legend Eddie Sutton. It wasn't even the long recruiting trip through Oklahoma, where the assistant coach had to sell himself and his program to a pair of promising recruits.

No, it was a station wagon full of little blond heads that totally unraveled the most successful coach in CSI history. A blond-haired lady and a litter of golden-coiffed children: A vision of everything Trenkle was missing.

"I saw them drive by and I just lost it. I just broke down," Trenkle said. "I had to pull off the road, I had no composure. I sat there and just bawled my eyes out and said, `I can't keep doing this.'"

Fred Trenkle was fortunate. Only weeks later, Sutton called with the news: CSI wanted the former Golden Eagles player to become the seventh head men's basketball coach in program history. This was the chance he was looking for: the opportunity to be closer to his wife Nita and four children. Still, the demands placed on any college coach are many. So, years later, when his oldest son Swede said he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, Fred Trenkle presented his best argument against the idea.

"I hit my junior year (of college) and saw how close I was to being done with the game as far as the playing aspect," Swede Trenkle said. "I was at Kansas at the time, and told Dad, `Man, I think I want to coach.'

"He went through a very nonchalant year of trying to talk me out of it."

It was a conversation Fred Trenkle would have two more times, as his sons Eddie and Brady followed suit, entering the collegiate coaching ranks. Each time, Fred Trenkle cited the time away from home, the lousy pay at the junior college level, the constant pressure. Each time, a son plowed head-first into one of the most demanding careers they could possibly choose.

"I've been in it a long time, and there are great times and a lot of tough times and sad times," Fred Trenkle said. "The divorce rate for coaches is higher than about anybody else in the country. "If you want to be a family man -- which I thought they all did -- well, it was hard on me."

A father's influence Fred Trenkle's sons grew up memorizing the X's and O's of Arkansas and CSI basketball. Each uses his father's offensive sets, his inbound plays to some extent.

That's the easy part. The hardest part of following the legacy of a coach inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1996 and the CSI Hall in 1999 has nothing to do with win/loss record or national championships. That part of the legacy exists only in banners, in trophy cases, in memory.

Fred Trenkle's true legacy is walking, teaching, working and yes, coaching. In 10 years at CSI, 70 of Fred Trenkle's 71 Golden Eagles players graduated. In his five years at San Diego State, 13 Aztecs graduated after the program graduated only one player in the previous 12 seasons.

Fred and Nita Trenkle didn't simply serve as coach and wife. They were father, mother, tutor and confidant for players like Alvin Robertson, Kenny Walker and Joey Johnson. It all stems from a philosophy the 59-year-old Trenkle passed on to his sons: Treat every player like you'd want your kid treated. Make them feel like part of the family.

"Coaches that aren't family men are the most brutal because they've got no kids," Fred Trenkle said. "It's, `Me against them.'

"No. You treat that kid like he was your own. If you have to kick his butt, you kick his butt. If you need to put your arm around him and hug him, you do it."

That philosophy has followed Swede Trenkle and his wife Liza to Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. It's there in Sterling, Colo., where Eddie Trenkle is Northeastern Junior College's head coach, where his wife Catheryne tutors. It's there in Dodge City, Kan., where Brady Trenkle, his wife Brook, and their two children try to make ends meet on a junior college assistant coach's salary.

Players on Trenkle teams graduate. They go on to be productive members of society.

"Being a head coach for three years and in the junior college level for eight years -- man, oh man -- that's a huge deal there," Swede Trenkle said of his father's graduation rate. "It's tough for kids to graduate at this level."

Eddie Trenkle graduated six of the seven sophomores on his 2006-07 NJC team that finished seventh at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament. Just as much as he'll remember the Plainsmen's many successes, he'll remember the one that slipped through the cracks. Eddie Trenkle knows his family tried.

"My dad was big into that and players were always at our house," he said. "My mom tutored them. My wife does that. It makes it a really nice thing because the whole family's involved."

Family ties Any given week during the basketball season, Fred and Nita Trenkle have six to eight games to keep up with. With their sons spread across the Midwest, internet broadcasts have become an oft-used asset.

However, the entire family was able to gather in Dodge City, Kan., this year for the school's Thanksgiving Classic. It was at that tournament that Brady Trenkle and the Conquistadores handed Eddie Trenkle's Plainsmen their only regular-season loss. The next day, the Plainsmen rebounded, topping Swede Trenkle's Rebels 84-73.

For the family patriarch in the stands, it was a balancing act of clapping, coaching, and a little bit of transference.

"You know, you still have that one neutral thing: I'd jump up and nip the refs' butts. It didn't matter which way they were going," Fred Trenkle said. "After, I'd go and talk to all of them. They'd ask me, `What's your connection?' I'd say, `I'm the father of all of them. I had it free. You couldn't do anything right with me!"

While Odessa (Texas) College athletic director John Wilfert is trying to get all three Trenkle teams together in tournament action this season, similar chances to gather have been infrequent.

No gathering, however, has been more dramatic than when the family got together for NJC's run at the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. With his father and two brothers close by, Eddie Trenkle's Plainsmen orchestrated one of the highlights of the tournament, a 75-74 victory over Midland (Texas) College. Omar Leary's game-winning 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds remaining gave the NJC coach a memory he'll not likely forget -- his father and brothers going absolutely wild.

"That was the nicest thing about this year at the national tournament," Eddie Trenkle said. "I was able to turn left and see my older brother, turn right and see my younger brother, and see my father behind me."

The Trenkles also have a built-in support system, with Brady Trenkle serving as the recruiting guru. Swede Trenkle's experience offers him insight into rules and special situations, while Eddie's early promise has created a buzz around the surging Plainsmen. And in the stands or on the phone, there's that Hall of Fame coach ready to help.

"He's played so many close games and tough games, and found a way to win," Eddie Trenkle said. "He knows what to do. It takes him about two seconds and he's in coach mode, telling you what to do."

How about four? The big question Fred Trenkle faces these days concerns why there aren't four Trenkles in the junior college coaching ranks. It's not because of a lack of opportunity.

While there have been offers, Fred Trenkle is no fool. He has two years left until he's eligible for retirement in the Idaho public school system. He's not about to jeopardize his future security for $40,000 a year and relocation in Middle America.

"I say to myself, `Play your deck out here, take your CSI retirement, your 10 years at Wood River, and if you're still healthy, you're tired of fishing and hunting, then go back and do it," Fred Trenkle said. "That seems to me the plan."

While a possible return would be a boon for the Trenkle family, it could also offer a marketing boon for the NJCAA governing body that is highly interested in drumming up buzz for its athletic offerings.

"I think it would be a neat thing for the NJCAA to have," Eddie Trenkle said. "To have a Hall of Fame coach and all three of his boys coaching. You're always looking for a big catch. And there you go."

Whether or not the future holds a return to the bench for the man that started it all, every sign points to the Trenkle family remaining firmly entrenched in the coaching fraternity for many years. He may have dissuaded his sons from following in his footsteps, but through the highs and lows, Fred Trenkle is enjoying watching his sons excel at the game he's given the bulk of his life to.

"I hope it provides a good life for them," he said. "One thing about coaching is you're around young people, and it gives you the chance to say young.

"It's a good life because there's nothing like the up of a game night and a win. And there's nothing worse than coming home from a loss. Fortunately, I didn't have to experience a lot of those at CSI. I got my share at San Diego State, believe me."

Trenkles by the numbers:

Fred Trenkle At CSI (1983-93): 329-34 record, beat Midland (Texas) College 69-68 for 1987 NJCAA national title. Named 1987 NJCAA Division I Coach of the Year. Trenkle's Golden Eagles teams had a 137-game home winning streak between 1984-92. Graduated 70 of 71 players. At San Diego State (1994-99): 55-83 record, put together program's first winning season in 12 years. Graduated 13 players after program graduated only one in the prior 12 years. At Wood River High School: (1972-80, 2004-06): 122-107 overall record, including a 100-58 mark from 1972-80. Led heavy underdog Wolverines team to state tournament in 2004.

Swede Trenkle Head coach, Hill College (Texas), third year. 2006-07: Hill College posted a 14-16 record as a member of Region 5 of NJCAA Division I. At Seward County CC (1999-04): Trenkle served as an assistant coach as the Saints posted an 89-37 record and started each season ranked in the NJCAA national poll. At Pittsburg State (1997-99): Served as an assistant under Gene Iba. Gorillas finished 64-24 overall and made two trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. At Fort Hays State (1995-97): Served as an assistant as the Tigers captured the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1996, completing a 34-0 season. In 1997, Tigers went 29-2, reaching the Division II Sweet 16.

Eddie Trenkle Head coach, Northeastern Junior College (Colo.), second year 2006-07: Trenkle led NJC to a 34-2 overall record and No. 7 finish at the NJCAA Division I National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan. Trenkle's team was ranked No. 4 in the final poll of the season and went undefeated in Region IX play. At Fort Hays State (2002-06): Served as assistant men's basketball coach. At Idaho State (2000-02): Served as a graduate assistant to the men's basketball program.

Brady Trenkle Assistant coach, Dodge City Community College, fourth year 2006-07: Dodge City went 26-6 and became back-to-back Jayhawk Community College Conference West champions. Conquistadores finished tied for 20th in the final NJCAA Division I national poll. At Eastern Utah: 2002-04: Golden Eagles went 34-28 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference while Trenkle served as an assistant. At Seward County CC (2000-02): Saints went 55-12 in Trenkle's two years as an assistant, finishing first in the Jayhawk West in 2002.

Times-News sports writer Eric Larsen can be reached at 1-800-658-3883, Ext. 220, or elarsen@magicvalley.com.