In a previous “life,” I had the good fortune to be a football coach in the college ranks.
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by Mike Alden, Director of Athletics, University of Missouri-Columbia
In a previous “life,” I had the good fortune to be a football coach in the college ranks. I was preparing for the 1985 football season as an assistant football coach at the University of Pennsylvania when I was offered the position of Assistant Athletic Director at Arizona State University. Here I was a 26-year-old assistant football coach who had dreamed of being on the football field for a long time when I accepted this job in Tempe, Arizona. The only thing I knew about Arizona State was that it was in the Pac 10 Conference, they were the Sun Devils and their football stadium held 72,000 people. I knew little to nothing about ASU and athletic administration in particular except through the sport of football.
In August of 1985, I started working at Arizona State. On my second day on the job, I had the pleasure of meeting the Executive Director of the Sun Angel Foundation, Dan Devine. My good fortune to be able to meet a true legend in college football came to be on that hot summer day at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona, and I never realized the effect that this encounter would have on my career and my life.
The entire sport of football lost a great friend with the passing of Dan Devine on May 9. He was truly one of the most successful coaches in college football, and arguably one of the most successful coaches in the history of the University of Missouri. He had a calming sense of confidence in every way, and had the ability to motivate people to do things they never dreamed. Clearly his love and devotion to the Missouri Tigers was evident from 1958 and on throughout the rest of his life.
On Friday, May 17th at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Phoenix, a memorial mass was held to celebrate the life of Dan Devine. It was a moving and emotional event that captured the essence of a remarkable person. I had the honor of attending the event with a number of people from Mizzou, namely former Missouri coach and player John Kadlec, longtime Athletic Trainer Fred Wappel, former Curator Fred Hall, current Head Football coach Gary Pinkel and others. In addition to our attendees from Missouri, several other coaches and sports personalities from throughout the country were in Phoenix to recognize Coach Devine and the impact he had on their lives.
It was clear that Coach Devine had a profound impact on so many people in so many ways. The stories and testimonies that were given reflected not only how he was able to teach people to win games, but also how he was able to help so many be successful in life. The sport of football was only a part of who he was as a person, and so many have been blessed with his presence in a variety of ways.
*****In order to further recognize Coach Devine, we will be holding a Memorial Service in Columbia, Mo on Saturday, June 1. It will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, 903 Bernadette Dr., (573) 445-7915 at 2:00 p.m. We are pleased that the Devine Family would like to further share the memory of Coach Devine with us at this event.
****Finally, the Devine Family has established the Dan Devine Memorial Athletic Endowment at the University of Missouri. If friends would like to contribute to this fund, they can do so by sending contributions in the name of Coach Devine at the MU Athletic Department, P.O. Box 677, Columbia, MO 65205. Questions can also be answered by calling 573-882-0704.
We will all miss Dan Devine very much. I was fortunate to have known him, and all of us are so very thankful for all he gave to Mizzou, the sport of football and the entire State of Missouri. In addition, I know that his family feels so loved by all Coach Devine gave to them.