| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 1 |
Alma Mater: Wisconsin [1955]
Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
Date Born: September 5, 1931
Date Died: July 30, 2015
Overall Record: 294-227 [20 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/17/1976 | Bowling Green at Kentucky | W | 77 - 59 | UKIT |
Obituary - Toledo (OH) Blade (February 10, 2008)
Coach John Weinert passed away on Thursday, July 30th in Sarasota, Fl. He is survived by his second wife of 25 years, Elaine Weinert.
He is the beloved father of Cindi (Bill) Baum, Kelly (Robert) Zakis, and John 'Buzz' (Melissa) Weinert. Step-father of Jennifer McCabe and Jim (Cassie) Rehl. He will be missed by his grandchildren, Corey, Tyler, and Hunter Baum, Kara, Erin and Toby Weinert, Taylor and Cole McCabe, Georgia, Hallie and Cooper Rehl.
Coach married the love of his life in 1954, a beautiful, spunky co-ed, Shirley Zeegers (deceased 1987).
A gifted athlete, he was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Notre Dame but soon transferred to the University of Wisconsin. Upon graduation, he moved his young family to Milwaukee and began his coaching career at Rufus King High School. In 1967 he accepted the head coaching position at Ripon College (Ripon, WI) and guided the Redmen to two Midwest Conference Championships in six years and earned Coach of the Year honors. In 1972 he accepted the Head Coaching position at St. Joseph's College (IN). During his four years with the Pumas, he turned around a struggling program and guided the Pumas to a NCAA Division II Regional Championship in 1974. In 1975 the Pumas won the ICC (Indiana Collegiate Conference), had another deep run in the NCAA Tournament and established a school record for wins in a season. He was named the ICC Coach of the Year and in 1988 was inducted into the St. Joes Hall of Fame.
In 1976 he accepted the position of Head Basketball coach at Bowling Green State University (OH). He won two Mid-American Conference Championships and again was named Coach of the Year while at BGSU. He retired from coaching in 1986 to care for his wife of 32 years (Shirley) who was battling cancer. He remained active in coaching as he continued to operate summer basketball camps and accepted a position to guide the US team in Amman, Jordan in 1990. He was active with the American Cancer Society and helped establish a state-wide, summer 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Ohio.
Perhaps he might be remembered for his colorful, nifty sports coats he wore while coaching. While at Ripon College and throughout his career he would remove his jacket at the beginning of the game and only put it back on when the result of the game was to be an assured victory. Students and fans throughout his career would begin to chantÉÓcoat, coat, coatÓ at the conclusion of victories and delight when his sports coat was put back on.
John was an intense and no-nonsense coach and a loving and caring husband and father. He was a history buff and will be missed by many. In 2009 Coach Weinert and his wife Elaine relocated to Sarasota, FL. to enjoy the wonderful weather and the opportunity to play golf 365 days a year.
Those wishing to send an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the John Weinert Scholarship Fund at BGSU or St. Joseph's College, P.O. Box 870, Rensselaer, IN 47978 Condolences may be shared with the family at www.dunnfuneralhome.com Arrangements are pending with DUNN FUNERAL HOME Bowling Green, Ohio.
Remembrances - Toledo (OH) Blade (February 10, 2008)
Ex-BG coach: more than colorful coats
by Matt Markey
In Their Words appears Sundays in The Blade's sports section. Blade sports writer Matt Markey talked with John Weinert, who was coach of the Bowling Green State University men's basketball team from 1976-86, and won two Mid-American Conference championships.
John Weinert is probably best-remembered for those flamboyant orange sport coats he wore as he took his team court side at Anderson Arena, and for his passion for the job, but he also had six winning seasons at Bowling Green, and was named the MAC coach of the year in 1978. Weinert would remove his trademark jacket as the game began, and when victory was in hand, put the loudest sport coat in the MAC back on - to the roaring approval of the crowd.
Weinert is a native of Milwaukee and coached at Rufus King High School in his hometown before moving into the college ranks. Weinert also coached at Ripon College in Wisconsin and then at St. Joseph's College in Indiana. At St. Joseph's, Weinert's four teams compiled a record of 72-39 and appeared in four NCAA Division II tournaments.
At Bowling Green, Weinert won MAC regular-season championships in 1980-81 and 1982-83, and took two of his Falcons teams to the National Invitation Tournament. He coached All-MAC standouts Colin Irish, David Greer, Joe Faine, Marcus Newbern, Keith Taylor and David Jenkins while at BGSU. In 10 seasons with the Falcons, Weinert was 146-133.
Weinert, 76, retired from coaching in 1986, but he and his wife, Elaine, maintain a home in Bowling Green, while spending the winters in Sarasota, Fla.
"LIFE IS GOOD here. We still love Bowling Green and have a lot of friends and family there, and we're in town each year for June, July, August and September. But it's nice spending the colder months down here in Florida. I love it. I can play golf three times a week, we've got a little pool in back, and it's just real comfortable. I shot 88 today, and a few days ago I played golf with [former BGSU football coach] Don Nehlen and Bob Pruett, who used to coach at Marshall. When I took the job at Bowling Green it was Don's last year - he got fired - and I remember we went over to his house after the season ended, and he didn't know what was going to happen - it was a difficult time for a coach. But he went on to Michigan and then West Virginia, and they love him there. Don is 74 and he looks like he is 45."
"I STILL LOVE college basketball and still follow the game. When I think back to my time coaching there at Bowling Green, it sounds like a clichŽ but it really is true - the players that you recruit, and the ones that you were right on, that is what means the most. When you get guys like David Greer, Marcus Newburn, Joe Faine, Colin Irish - all they cared about was did the team win the game. They never cared about individual stats. Those are fun guys - when you lose they suffer, and when you win, they are excited. You get some selfish players, who score 15 and lose and are happy, but you hope you don't get too many of them."
"TEAM SPORTS are team sports, but I think what is happening too much today is that kids aren't enjoying sports as much any more. If they are good in grade school, some AAU coach gets hold of them and fills their head with a lot of stuff that isn't beneficial. If they are good in high school, the pressure is always on about getting a scholarship, and making sure it gets them to this school or that school. Kids shouldn't be worrying about that - they should play basketball and enjoy it. When they're done playing, they should have good memories about the games, riding on the bus with their teammates, and all those small things that make it such a great experience."
"IN THE OLD days, if you were a high school coach with a good record, then you'd get a shot coaching at Division II or Division III. And if you were successful there, then maybe you'd get a shot at Division I. It's not the same now - guys don't really have to build a record from the bottom up. My goal was to get to Division I, and then be competitive when I got there. I felt like we did that at Bowling Green."
"THE MAC WAS a very good league then - you'd very seldom see one team dominate all of the time. We were on top for awhile, Toledo was for awhile, Central Michigan was, and Ohio, Miami, Northern Illinois - they were all tough. Bowling Green was a great place to coach, because basketball there was shared by the players, the people in the community, and the students. You had the kind of atmosphere, and the relationships that make up what college basketball is really all about."
"The MAC was different because it was full of good teams. If you are coaching at Penn State or Northwestern today, it doesn't matter how good of a coach you are, you're not going to win the Big Ten. Back then in the MAC, you always felt like you were in it, like if you got a break here and there, you could win the thing."
"I loved the competitiveness of the games, and looking forward to the games. The MAC had its gyms on campus, and the students came out and really made a difference. They weren't put up in the rafters - they were right there and they were a part of it, and they'd get on you."
"WE PLAYED AT Ohio when they had really good teams, and the fans right behind the bench really got on us, in a good way. After the game was over and we won, I asked them to come to our gym and do the same thing, and we all laughed about it. Then two weeks later I got a note from an OU student who said they wanted to take me up on the offer, they wanted to come to our place. I got them 18 or 20 tickets, and that was tough because back then we packed the place. I think we had the best attendance in the history of Anderson Arena."
"THE THING with the jackets started when I was at Ripon, and the gyms were all small and it would get hotter than heck in there. After a few minutes I'd take my coat off. And then when the game was won, I'd put it back on with a few minutes left. Then a bunch of fraternity guys there started yelling 'coat! coat! coat!' every game, urging me to put it on. It became a really big deal."
"It was a yellow jacket I wore there at Ripon that I got at a place like a Wal-Mart, then at St. Joe's I got a red one from a cut-rate store. I forget where I got that orange one I wore at Bowling Green, but they were all as cheap as you could get. I don't think I paid sixty bucks for all three of them."
