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Earl Yestingsmeier, Indiana Golf Hall of Fame Member and Former Men’s Golf Coach at Ball State University Passes Away

Jan 10, 2014

Earl
Yestingsmeier, the long-time men’s golf coach and sports information
director at Ball State University, passed away this week at his home in
Muncie. He was 80 years old.

Yestingsmeier
coached the Ball State men’s golf team for 36 years until his
retirement in 1998, spending 31 of those years in a dual role as the
university’s sports information director. He remained one of Ball
State’s biggest fans until his passing.

As
a coach, Yestingsmeier led the Cardinals to 107 tournament titles and
11 NCAA Tournament appearances. For his success, he was enshrined in the
Ball State Athletics, Golf Coaches Association and Indiana Golf halls
of fame.

A
four-time conference coach of the year, Yestingsmeier’s teams won six
league titles in his career. He guided the Cardinals from their days in
the Indiana Collegiate Conference into the Midwestern Conference and
eventually into the Mid-American Conference in the 1970s.

He
coached numerous players who went on to compete professionally,
including four — Brian Tennyson, Jeff Gallagher, Denny Hepler and Scott
Steger — on the PGA Tour. Additionally, 89 of his golfers went on to
careers in the sport as teaching professionals or in golf management
positions. One of his pupils, Mike Fleck, took over the Ball State program when he retired and continues to lead it today.

“Coach
Earl truly was Ball State golf in every sense of the word,” Fleck said.
“It is a sad day. I loved the man, and I know he loved all of us. He
was a great ambassador for Ball State and for college golf, and we are
going to miss him dearly. He did so much for so many of us.”

Yestingsmeier
was dedicated to the educational mission of collegiate athletics. More
than 90 percent of Ball State golfers graduated during his tenure, and
11 of them were named All-America Scholars by the Golf Coaches
Association of America. Yestingsmeier, a president of the GCAA from
1994-96, was a founding member of the GCAA Scholar Committee.

A
native of Evansville, Ind., Yestingsmeier earned his bachelor’s degree
from Ball State in 1955 and his master’s degree from the university in
1958.

He
then spent virtually his entire professional career working for his
alma mater. He started as sports information director in 1959 and became
golf coach in 1963. During his career, he also held titles of athletic
ticket manager and assistant director of alumni relations.

Even
after his retirement, Yestingsmeier continued to follow the Ball State
men’s golf team to nearly every tournament. He was on hand last spring
as the Cardinals’ reached the NCAA Championships for the first time
since he was the coach.

Yestingsmeier
also remained a fixture at athletic events on campus. When Scheumann
Stadium was renovated in 2007, the main press area was named in honor of
him and his wife, the former Mona Fahl, who preceded him in death.

“I
was not privileged to be around Earl nearly as long as so many others
at Ball State, but it didn’t take long to realize just what a treasure
he was for our university,” Ball State director of intercollegiate
athletics Bill Scholl says. “I had the good fortune of spending time
with him when our men’s golf team competed in the NCAA Championships
last spring, and I will remember those moments fondly.  He was dedicated
to our athletic department and our student-athletes for decades, and we
will always be grateful for his contributions.”

 
Story Credit: Ball State Athletics