Sports Spotlight on Dan Imdieke | Video

Scott Westerberg | 9/19/2012

There have been plenty of big moments at the football field in Linton over the past three and a half decades, but last Friday, Dan Imdieke achieved something only one other North Dakota coach can claim, 300 career victories.

Three hundred wins, it`s a number most high school football coaches can only dream of. That dream became reality this past Friday for Imdieke. But getting to 300 isn`t what`s important to coach Imdieke. It`s the consistency that number represents.

"To win eight football games a year for 35 years, I`m just proud of the kids. They came to camp ready to play football. Football was a priority for them and we had a lot of fun over the years doing it, and I`m sure the state championships are something you work for, but the consistency is something I`m particularly proud of."

How exclusive is the 300 win club? According to an online database, only about 120 coaches nationally have ever reached that mark.

"I`m glad it`s here and I`m glad it`s over with and now we can concentrate on playing football. It`s a nice milestone, and I got to give a lot of credit to a lot of people through my career, my assistant coaches, the administration, the parents, the players. It`s been a lot of fun. It`s gone fast and a lot of people deserve a lot of credit for that."

But for all the region titles and state championships over the past 36 years, current and former players say that`s not what they think of first when it comes to coach Imdieke.

"He could win 300 more games, and I don`t think he`d be any different than what he was when he had 30 wins. He`s just down to earth, humble guy and likes to have fun with it," said former quarterback Justin Purintun.

"He`s always got a positive attitude. He makes it fun for us, and he`s always trying to make sure we`re having the best time we can have," said Linton-HMB Sr. RB/LB Brock Nagel.

And after three and a half decades, it`s the little things that keep coach on the sidelines every Friday night.

"It`s just the enthusiasm of the game. Like last Friday night, there`s nothing like a beautiful Friday night under the lights and you`re able to have a lead and watch the kids have fun. The enthusiasm of the game, that`s a great thing," Imdieke said.

The Lions are home this Friday against Maple Valley-Enderlin in a rematch of last year`s semifinal which the Lions rallied to win 21-to-20.

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