(Griswold) Peggy Hansen has taught and coached in the Griswold school district for over 30 years. Much of her time career was spent as the head softball coach.
Hansen was kind enough to chat with us this week on the “Why I Coach” feature. She played in high school at Nevada and in college at both Waldorf and UNI. Throughout her playing days she always had a hand in some type of coaching capacity. “It sparked a love for softball and coaching. I helped coach while I was going to college and I played ball through college. It was one of those things that was in my blood and I really enjoyed doing it. I didn’t know what to do with my summers for many years until I gave it up a few years ago.”
Hansen enjoyed it until the very end and admits it was a tough decision to step away. “I miss coaching the girls and the game itself. The field work, I spent all spring out there getting the field ready and all the work that it took, my body just said it was time to be done.”
Among the highlights of her coaching career was the opportunity to have her two daughters both as players and eventually assistant coaches. “It was just a lot of fun. The things they knew from the game and took away from the game were amazing. It was kind of interesting sometimes with the three Hansen’s out there thinking about things. They saw things a little bit differently sometimes, but it was good conversation. A lot of times games came home and we had long conversations afterwards too, but we all grew from it. It was one of those things that was really good for us.”
Hansen says she learned a lot from opposing coaches like Joyce Tiarks, Sue Hawkins, JoEllen Travis, and Gary Wax. A few of the players that come to mind when thinking of the stars of yesteryear in Griswold softball include Darcie Berry, Andrea Milner, and Jody Rossell.
Previous Coaches
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
Kevin Suhr, (Walnut Grad) Blue Valley High School, KS
