Myron Glass: Remembering a coaching legend – Post Bulletin

In late October, Hall of Fame girls basketball coach Myron Glass died at the age of 78. The Rochester Lourdes coaching legend is considered the second-most-winning basketball coach of all time in Minnesota (719 wins, 143 losses) and the winner of eight state championships. Lourdes recorded a perfect 8-on-8 in state title games during his 31-year tenure.

Glass, also a highly successful girls’ and boys’ cross-country coach (six combined state championships), will be celebrated with a visitation on Friday, January 27, starting at 6:30 p.m. before the Lourdes girls’ basketball team’s home game.

For this story, we asked a series of former players, an assistant coach, coaching rival, and a close friend to reflect on what makes Glass so special.

Myron loved coaching! Preparing for the games with all the X’s and O’s, the scouting reports, the full gyms, the bands playing and the whole atmosphere. But I think what Myron loved most about coaching was being with all the players and seeing them work hard and develop into strong players, both individually and as a team. He loved working with the young kids at camps in the summer and working with the high school kids during the season. . . I once asked him what he missed the most after retiring from coaching, and he said: “The relationships: with the players, all coaches, players from other schools, the officials and everyone involved in football have to do.” He loved talking to the people he had met over the years. Myron was a great coach! Not only because of the victories and defeats, but because of his person. Myron was a true student of the game at all times and he loved the game’s integrity. Myron created an atmosphere of hard work, camaraderie, respect, and joy. One of Myron’s great strengths was that the girls believed in themselves and as a team and that through their hard work and preparation they would succeed.

It is impossible to put into words the sadness I feel at the death of Myron Glass. Myron was more than a coach to me, he was also a mentor and a father figure. I was very blessed to win two straight state championships with a coach who believed not only in me but in the entire team and the LHS basketball program. He inspired me to persevere through difficult times and he showed me by example how to live life as a productive, responsible and caring adult. I have so much admiration and respect for him. Myron touched not only my life but many lives and he will forever be in our hearts.

Coach (Minnesota state championships in cross country, track and field, and basketball), Minnesota High School Basketball Hall of Fame, women’s sport pioneer for Lourdes, teacher, mentor, and cancer survivor—these are some of the words you can use to describe Myron Glas . But to me he was so much more. He was a humble man and friend who only wanted what was best for you and your family. Myron was an incredible coach when I played for him. He has impacted the lives of so many young people in our community. If I could speak to him again, I would thank him for his passion and dedication. For all of us former players, we’re the lucky ones – we were blessed to hear from the one and only “Mr. Glass.” May he rest in peace.

If you met Mr. Glass while traveling in southeast Minnesota, you would have had no idea that he was one of the most successful high school coaches in the state’s history. He would probably have been wearing oversized gym pants, a t-shirt and worn sneakers. If you take a closer look at the t-shirt, you might have noticed that it’s from a Lourdes HS girls basketball championship, maybe a decade ago. He may have just gotten out of a pickup truck with a dog or some dog food or fishing gear in the back. He probably would have given you a great one-liner about the weather or some other perceptive observation, usually ending with a question followed by your last name, and asked what you thought on the subject. His looks and demeanor do not suggest that he was an extremely detail-oriented high school coach and math teacher. . . I last spoke to Mr. Glass at the Section 1AA Girls Basketball Tournament in March 2022. He was amazed as to why I wasn’t wearing my purple and cheering for Lourdes. I explained that my children play sports and visit in Plainview-Elgin-Millville, so my present allegiance must be to them. He just giggled and shook his head. . .Mr. Glass dedicated his life to his chosen apprenticeship as a trainer and teacher at Lourdes HS. He cared deeply about the students and especially his student-athletes. The girls’ basketball program that Mr. Glass hosted at Lourdes High School from the 1980s to the 2010s is truly unprecedented. While I thought his preparation was standard for all high school coaches, I now understand how amazing his dedication and expertise really was – definitely an exception and not the norm. Regardless of the opponent, he prepared intensively for all games. I take this lesson of knowledge and thoroughness into all aspects of my life today. His teams were his world, not just during the season but all year round. In all honesty, I’m not sure any high school coach will ever be able to match the time and care they give their players. I’m grateful to have been a part of his legacy.

So many, many memories of Myron for Sue (Paul’s wife) and I. I met him during my first job with the Post Bulletin in the mid 1970’s when I started covering the sport of Lourdes. We moved to San Antonio but never lost touch. In fact, he drove to San Antonio with a bunch of cross country and basketball players from his high school. After 12 years in Texas, I returned to the Post Bulletin and stayed with Myron before we moved into our home here. We lived about three blocks apart in southeast Rochester. We created an NCAA basketball tournament pool that has existed for over 25 years. It grew to over 350 entries, but weirdly we never made any money the whole time. I mean never. In other words, Myron was a much better coach than someone who picks basketball games. . .We watched game six of the 1991 World Series and turned up the volume on his TV so we could pretend we were there. Watching basketball, soccer, or baseball on TV with Myron was fun. He always coached. It seemed like he was naming plays before they happened. Scary. He would have made a great television analyst.

Myron would always sit with me when we were both scouting the same game. He would sit there and share all his knowledge of the game. I remember my first year as a coach at Kasson-Mantorville, I was 22 and I started the season 2-0. I thought coaching girls basketball was easy. Then I faced Myron and he wanted something like his 500th win in Lourdes. We were destroyed and I was like, ‘Okay, that’s more of the point.’ I remember when my team beat Lourdes for the first time, I was emotional because you (Teams coached by Glass) almost never beat. Myron’s playbook was so deep that he could never be outwitted. He always had a counter for everything you did. . .Myron was respected by the entire basketball community, from parents to players to local coaches. His attention to detail and the discipline of his teams was so good.

Without question, Myron Glass improved the game of every team in every class in Southeast Minnesota. His footprints can still be found throughout the successful high school teams to this day. His Lourdes teams have always been rock solid and played great team basketball. Myron’s teams didn’t ride anything overly polished, but what they rode was precise and deadly. His teams paid close attention to the ball, made teams misses, were great defensive rebounders and made their free throws, a recipe for victory in every era. “Legend” and “the greatest of all time” are tossed around very loosely these days, but there’s no question Myron was both. If proof is needed, his 8-0 record in state title games is proof, and many of those games have been blowouts. Though I viewed Myron as a rival and lost a lot of sleep trying to figure out ways to beat him, I enjoyed getting to know the man and will miss our conversations if I were to cheer for the Eagles at our annual game.