Bernie Saggau: Legendary athletic figure dies
The former IHSAA leader was an influential figure
Bernie Saggau wasn’t a physically imposing man, but he was a giant in terms of his impact on Iowa.
Saggau, who ran the Iowa High School Athletic Association for nearly 40 years, died at age 96 Friday. He was a dominant personality who believed that he always did right for high school kids. At times, he oversaw boys’ athletics like an intimidating CEO, presenting proposals before the state Board of Control; he could also be charming, with a wink and a nod, or a brilliantly delivered speech.
I’m certain that the days of such a powerful figure in Iowa high school sports (along with his Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union counterpart E. Wayne Cooley) will never be seen again.
Bernie Saggau, who led the state’s boys’ athletic association for more than 40 years. (Photo courtesy Iowa High School Athletic Association.)
Saggau’s strong personality was a key to his success. And what a remarkable career it was.
Consider his achievements that are still having an impact today. He helped launch the state’s football playoff system in 1972. He moved the state boys’ wrestling tournament from Waterloo to Des Moines in 1970. He helped create the largest high school state track meet in the country. Classification systems of all kinds was another achievement. If there was a first class venue for high school boys, Saggau did his best to made sure the kids had it.
Basketball? He knew the sport in and out, having had a great career as a college official. So when Iowa became the first state to implement the 3-point line in 1982.
He was hired by the boys’ association in 1963 by his mentor, Lyle Quinn. In 1967, Saggau took over. He continued as the executive until retiring in 2005.
Saggau was a gifted speaker — probably one of the best orators in the state — whether he was talking to a reporter, a group of students or an auditorium full of adults.
I interviewed Bernie many times in my reporting career at The Des Moines Register. He was very firm and his strong personality came across over the phone or in person.
You really had to be on your toes when you interviewed him or covered one of his meetings.
He once told me that, as a reporter, I was “fair.” I considered that a great compliment, since fairness was a key part of my job.
Bernie always had an opinion. And in some cases, they weren’t popular ones.
Moving the state wrestling tournament from Waterloo, the cradle of the sport in Iowa, to Des Moines was a controversial decision. But it made sense.
The football playoff system was said to have been opposed by 80 percent of Iowa high school administrators. Bernie could be very persuasive, being tough or tender as necessary. Now it’s difficult to envision the state without a playoff system.
It was interesting to watch him conduct a board meeting. I covered them off and on for more than a decade. If you have heard the expression “ruled with an iron fist,” it may have popped into your head.
One of Saggau’s gifts was hiring good talent. Rick Wulkow, a capable administrator and a first class guy; Dave Harty, who helped develop the state wrestling tournaments into sellout events; Alan Beste, who turned athlete health and wellness issues into a cornerstone of the organization. Wulkow and Beste would succeed Saggau as executive directors.
He also envisioned the extracurricular honors shrine the Iowa Hall of Pride in its original incarnation as a physical building in downtown Des Moines (sadly, the building has transitioned into an online version).
His strong mindedness might not always have won him friends and allies. If you’re a soccer fan, you may have believed that the sport should have been sanctioned a few years earlier; if you supported boys’ diving or pole vaulting, best of luck to you.
Regardless of your view, Bernie Saggau helped make Iowa high school sports into what they are today. And for that, we owe him our gratitude.
John, nice column! I believe that Bernie Saggau and E. Wayne Cooley were the primary visionaries who made Iowa the best state in America for high school athletics. At the heart of their vision was their shared belief and insistence that athletics be part of the overall education experience. They believed that sports teams are like classrooms and coaches are first of all teachers, and that lessons taught and learned in athletics are as important those learned in more traditionally academic classrooms.