Each year at the Homecoming football game, this award is presented to an M Association member who, by his or her achievements and contributions in athletic coaching, brings honor to our university and the memory of Coach Wolfe. The award can be based either on outstanding success in the past year or on accomplishments over the course of a several-year career.

Selection is made by Association officers from nominations by the membership, which includes all past "M" letter winners. Nominations must be received before Dec. 31.



Richard “Dick” Siler '57 -  A former football and track athlete for the Black and Gold, Dick Siler has etched his coaching legacy on the baseball field. Dick spent over three decades as a high school educator and baseball coach in Northern Indiana. Siler taught and coached at both Elkhart High and Elkhart Memorial High Schools. He compiled an outstanding overall record of 576-355-15, good
enough for a sterling .618 winning percentage.

Honoring his career in high school athletics, Siler was a 1992 inductee into the Indiana High School Baseball Hall of Fame. A longtime member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association, Dick retired from the high school ranks in 1997.

Ever passionate in his love for the game of baseball, Dick couldn’t quite stay away from coaching and is now entering his 23rd year as an assistant baseball coach at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Ind.

Past Coach of the Year Recipients

1980 - Phil Weybright '68
1981 - Bob Barlow '72
1982 - Claude Wolfe '40
1983 - Richard Miller '61
1984 - Lamar Kilmer '63
1985 - James Andrews '69
1986 - John Hans '63
1987 - Terry Pettit '68
1988 - Mike Kelly '70
1989 - Harlan Frick '63
1990 - Dennis Horn '63
1991 - Al Smith '64
1992 - A.J. Rickard '62
1993 - Jim Noffsinger '69
1994 - Dave Geyer '62
1995 - Carmi Thornton '76
1996 - Jerry Minton '62
1997 - Steve Neff '73
1998 - Ron Hecklinski '78
1998 - Mike DeBord '77
1999 - Doug Miller '76
2000 - Gary Scott '71
2001 - Mark Heeter '87
2002 - Gary Goshert '73
2003 - Dave McCollough '79
2004 - Bill Patrick '53
2005 - Wayne Kreiger '64
2006 - Mark Miller '75
2007 - Jeff Adamson '86
2008 - Scott Mannering '79
2009 - Allen Shockney '63
2010 - Carla Paschen ’83 Herschberger
2011 - Linda Allen '84 Bamrick
2012 - Allen Mack '87
2013 - Scott Kreiger '88
2014 - George Gilbert '78
2015- Andy McClain ’91
2016- Jed Freels ’84
2017 - Burt paddock '97
2018 - Scott Stalbaum '07
2019 - Dick Siler '57