Takedown Report

Coach Denney and former UNO program honored this weekend in Omaha

By Pat Kelly

“We want to invite all of the UNO and Omaha University wrestling family to the reunion we are having on October 14th in the Lee & Helene Sapp Fieldhouse…”

With that statement in a video posted on Coach Mike Denney’s Facebook page on August 9, 2023, he broke a 12-year moratorium on the use of the phrase “UNO,” “Nebraska-Omaha,” or just about any other term or phrase associated with the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

To him, the school had become known as “The Other Place.” And who could blame him for the slang intended as a slight?

The date was March 12, 2011 on the campus of the University of Nebraska at Kearney, site of the NCAA Division II nationals. The UNO Mavericks had not yet left the arena after celebrating the eighth national championship in program history (7 in NCAA DII with Denney, 1 in NAIA with Coach Don Benning).

A voicemail from then athletic director Trev Alberts was delivered to Denney letting him know his 32-year tenure as head coach was over and the program was being dropped. The 2011 team was devastated when Denney met with them shortly after in the hotel.

The entire University of Nebraska at Omaha wrestling community was dealt a blow that was incomprehensible and inconceivable. The program was winning. The athletes were behaving themselves. They were performing in the classroom. The program was virtually self-sustaining financially. The coach? Mike Denney was what any university, parent, athlete, and fan would want in a coach. His teams won on the mat, but were also recognized for community service on campus and in the community.

No matter the academic department or extracurricular team or group, Coach Denney and the wrestling team was known in a good light. Denney was an icon on campus. His guys went on to lead productive lives, and they kept in touch, returning for golf outings, home duals, NCAA tournaments, and weddings. UNO Wrestling remained a fabric of their lives.

Coach Denney and Bonnie, his wife of 54 years, were the glue that held it together. Ron Higdon, Assistant Director of the Nebraska School Activities Association since 2011, was an All-American for UNO and assistant coach for the Mavericks from 1992 – 2011. He will be present for the gathering on October 14th and thinks the timing is right, especially after Denney announced his retirement after coaching the past 13 years at Maryville near St. Louis.

“Coinciding with Coach Denney retiring, there couldn’t be a better time to do it. … rest of the story at … WIN-magazine.com/2023/10/12/coach-denney-and-former-uno-program-honored-this-weekend-in-omaha

October 17, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized