FROM THE DIAMOND TO THE COURT


For the past fourteen seasons, Austin Peay has been a perennial contender in the Ohio Valley Conference, under the guidance of Dave Loos. But the four-time OVC coach of the year raised the bar this past season.

It began with a 3-7 start and ended with the school’s first-ever birth in the National Invitational Tournament. Along the way, Austin Peay ran its homecourt-winning streak to twenty-nine games and became the first team in Ohio Valley Conference history to go 16-0 and the first to go unbeaten in thirty-four years (prior to OVC tournament championship against Murray State).

“I have tried to take a great deal of pride to do things the right way,” says Loos. “It was important to me to create a great foundation, graduating players and having integrity in the program. On the court we try to keep it simple. We want to take good shots and play hard-nosed defense.”

That simple formula has been the perfect prescription. Only once during his tenure has ASPU failed to reach double figures in wins, averaging nearly sixteen wins per and twice earning a bid to the NCAA tournament.

And while the coaching carousel has continued to turn over the past few seasons, Dave Loos has been more than content with his situation in Clarksville, TN. And he also the luxury of an excellent relationship with the Athletics Director.

One of three current division I head coaches to also hold the position of A.D. (Hugh Durham, Jacksonville and Ron “Fang” Mitchell, Coppin State), Loos viewed it as an opportunity too good to take a pass on when it was offered in 1997.

“I already had a lot invested,” says Loos. “We were building a good foundation with the basketball program, but I thought it was important that all our athletics programs did well. It began as a short-term thing, but eight years I am still here.”

And no doubt that ASPU is better for it.

But all of his success on the hardwood almost never materialized.

“In a perfect world, I would have been the starting shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals,” laughed Loos, “but curveballs forced me into coaching.”

Loos, who was inducted into the Memphis Hall of Fame, attended Memphis State on a basketball scholarship, but says that baseball was his better sport. In an era when shortstops were known more for their glove than their bat, Loos was a slick fielding middle infielder with an exceptional arm, but he could also hit a little.

“It was a little,” he laughed. “I once went 5-for-5, which sounds impressive, but two of those hits came courtesy of the bunt.”

He downplays his talents on the diamond, but the fact remains that he was a tremendous all around athlete and an All-Conference shortstop for the Tigers. But curveballs and another fact pushed him a different direction.

“I played on a pretty good team in the Basin League in South Dakota,” says Loos. “We had a lot of very good players and I thought I was one of them, but when everyone on the team was drafted, except me, I realized I may not be playing for the Cardinals.”

Once it was clear that his dream would not be realized, Loos quickly and easily made the transition to coaching. Other than his parents, no one had made a bigger impact on his life than the many coaches he had growing up.

“I had always admired my coaches,” he says. “In the back of my mind I guess I always wanted to coach, but it wasn’t until after I finished playing baseball that I really pursued it.”

After college, Loos spent eight seasons as head coach at his prep alma mater, Mehlville High School in St. Louis. Taking over a program that previously had endured eleven straight losing seasons, Loos led his team to five winning campaigns, including a state tourney berth. He left the school as its winningest coach.

It was very clear that he was on his way to a long and successful career in coaching. And for the 56-year old Loos, things could not have turned out better.

“I am very fortunate to have a job that I love,” he says. “My family, especially my wife (Phyillis) has been so supportive. This is better than working,” he jokingly added.

And basketball has literally become a family affair for the Loos clan.

His son David is a former student manager and graduate assistant at Austin Peay who now he serves as the color commentator for the Governors Sports Network.

His other son Brad was a former walk-on guard and then student assistant at APSU before going to work as a graduate assistant for Kim Anderson, a longtime coaching friend of Coach Loos, who is now the head coach at Central Missouri.

His daughter, Nikki, is a member of the APSU dance team and she may be the only dance team member in history who, during timeouts, will be looking at stat sheets. Her spot on the dance team, during timeouts, is right in front of her brother's radio position on press row. David turns around the stat sheets so she can see them.

“Coaching can take a lot of time away from your family so I feel very fortunate to be able to see them so much.”

Basketball may be the chosen profession, but Loos has never lost his passion for baseball and his beloved Redbirds. Sports information director Brad Kirtley and Loos spend many a day discussing the Tony La Russa’s Cards.

“You can never have enough pitching,” laughs Loos.