Former Lutheran West girls basketball head coach Karen Wittrock took advantage of every moment she could, both on and off the court, to lead by example and teach the virtues a strong faith in God. (Photo courtesy of Lutheran West High School)

Faith fuels Wittrock’s success
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published May 28, 2008

From her humble beginnings as a child raised in rural Missouri to her adult years as a hall of fame basketball coach, one thing has remained a constant in the life of Karen Wittrock:

Her faith.

It doesn’t take long when having a conversation with Wittrock to realize the importance of her strong faith in God, whether it be about teaching, basketball, family or her own life. And as the conversation continues, there can be no doubt about her sincerity and belief.

“I see how my life has been directed by the Lord in different situations I’ve been in, whether it be in teaching or through sports,” said Wittrock, who recently resigned her position as the head girls basketball coach at Lutheran West.

“I see my work here at Lutheran West as a ministry, whether it be in the classroom, on the basketball court or coaching the golf team,” she said. “I feel it’s my duty to minister to the students here, to help guide them as they’re growing up and to help them see the Lord as I see him.

“If you believe and have faith, somehow He works things out so that it’ll be OK. He will work things out for us if we trust Him. It’s important to me that the students I work with know that as I know that,” she said.

Karen Wittrock shares a happy moment with Lutheran West Athletic Director Joel Gesch after winning her 600th game January 7, 2004. (Photo courtesy of Lutheran West High School)

It is that faith that has fueled a stellar teaching and coaching career at Lutheran West. It has also been a steadying influence in Wittrock’s personal life, whether it concerned a family matter, a career choice or her own successful battle against ovarian cancer a few years ago.

It is a faith that grew out of some very simple times as a young girl in Missouri.

Wittrock grew up in a log home with no electricity on the shore of the Lake of the Ozarks, just outside a little town called Gravois Mills, population 33.

“I remember when Dad bought a generator so we could have lights in the house,” she recalled. “I was around eight years old, and I just thought that was awesome. Dad was a builder, and pretty soon after that he built a new home that’s still there today.

“My first school was a little building with four classes. Later, when some of the smaller schools consolidated, we went to high school in Versailles. By then, I already knew that I wanted to be a teacher. I think I knew that by the time I was in seventh grade,” she said.

Wittrock said she had several relatives who were involved with the Lutheran school system. She decided that was the path she’d follow as well.

“I remember I admired them so much,” she said. “I wanted to follow in their footsteps, so after high school I went to Concordia St. Paul, which was a Lutheran community college. Then I had my choice of moving on to either Concordia in Chicago or Concordia in Seward, Nebraska.

“Well, I couldn’t envision a little country girl going to Chicago, so I went to Seward. I was comfortable there, and I was closer to home, which was important to me,” she said.

When it was time to do her student teaching, Wittrock said there were very few Lutheran schools to pick from. “I think there were about 17 at the time. Now there’s 50. There was one in St. Louis, and another one in Cleveland. There were others, but those were the two they were deciding to send me to.

“They sent me and three or four others to Cleveland, and we all had to student teach at both the elementary school and the high school level. I did my elementary teaching at Messiah Lutheran, where I still go to church today. Then I came to Lutheran West for the high school part.

“As it turned out, the lady who taught physical education at West was leaving, so there was a position open at West for physical education and math. They liked me and called me back, but the college wanted me to stay and work there,” she said.

It was that decision that further strengthened Wittrock’s faith.

“Looking back on it, I’m so glad I stayed in Cleveland,” she said. “I really enjoy working with high school-aged students. I’m not so sure I would have enjoyed the college level as much. It showed me, though, how God works in your life. I thought I was going back to Seward, but I got the call from West and wound up coming back here.”

The decision couldn’t have worked any better for both Wittrock and Lutheran West.

In 1967, a group of girls approached Wittrock about starting a girls basketball team. Fourty one years and 657 victories later, Wittrock leaves behind a legacy which may never be duplicated.

Her first team went 6-7, her last 9-12. Those were the only losing seasons in 41 years for Wittrock, who saw the program grow from playing the old six-person version of the game to the more accepted five-person game. She found places for her teams to practice when the boys team wouldn’t let them use the school gym. Her teams played against bigger schools from the east side and Cleveland and Akron “because there were no other teams to play.”

She saw the Ohio High School Athletic Association take over girls sports, immediately dropping the schedule to just 12 games after Wittrock’s teams were used to playing 18 to 20 games. That was in the old Inland Conference, which started in 1972.

Things have come a long way, she said, since those days.

“I remember starting the program,” she said. “I didn’t know I had to have permission from the board first. Well, word got out to our superintendent, Dr. Erwin F. Sagehorn. ‘So, I understand we now have a girls basketball team,’ he said.

“Well, he got the board to give its approval. We didn’t get any funding, but we could play,” she said.

Wittrock helped get the other girls sports programs started at Lutheran West. But it will be her efforts in basketball that most people will remember.

Her record of 657-198 gives her a winning percentage of 76.8, and she has led her teams to more victories than any other coach in the state of Ohio. Her Longhorns won 21 conference championships, 22 sectional championships, seven district titles, one regional title and a runner-up finish at the state tournament in 1976.

Wittrock’s coaching honors include being inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, the Concordia University-Chicago Athletic Hall of Fame, The Lutheran West Athletic Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Magazine Hall of Fame. She was named Outstanding Coach of the Year in 1999 by the National Women’s Sports Foundation and named Ohio Coach of the Year four times.

Wittrock has been chosen conference Coach of the Year 20 times, and this past season received the James Naismith Meritorious Service award from the OHSAA.

She has decided to remain at Lutheran West as the head of the Health and Physical Education Department, and will retain her role as the men’s varsity golf coach.

Her work at West, she said, isn’t finished.

“If I see a student is struggling with something, I’ll take them aside and do my best to encourage them,” said Wittrock. “I try to tell them that the Lord will work it to the good in the end. And I try to set a good example as best I can. When you say something, you have to live it. You have to mean it.

“That’s how kids learn, and it helps them get closer to Him,” she said.

Even her final team, despite injuries and winding up with a losing record, finished strong with wins against Clearview and Oberlin. It was a testament to Wittrock’s teaching that despite one’s downfalls, God always gives people a second chance.

Still, Wittrock wasn’t willing to take any credit.

“None of this success comes because of me,” she said. “It’s God working His will through me. My abilities come because of Him. I give Him the credit for everything.”