Mike Beitzel to Retire from Hanover's Basketball Program
March 28, 2008 (Hanover Release)
HANOVER-IN- Hanover College President Sue DeWine has announced that Mike Beitzel will retire as head men's basketball coach. The retirement is effective immediately.
“I am announcing my retirement as basketball coach at Hanover College,” said Beitzel. “I want to thank Hanover College, and in particular, John Collier, for bringing me to Hanover. It was my goal to have a competitive basketball program, one that could make Coach Collier and the community proud. I also want to thank the College for the wonderful educational opportunities they have afforded my family.
Beitzel, who recently completed his 20th season at the helm of Hanover's program, guided the Panthers to a 370-181 record during his tenure. He amassed the second-highest victory total in school history behind hall-of-famer John Collier, who led the Panthers to a 388-242 record from 1966/67 through 1987/88.
Beitzel has posted a 495-276 record in 28 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
A committee including Hanover faculty, staff and alumni will begin the search for Beitzel's successor immediately. The College expects to hire a new head coach as soon as possible.
Under Beitzel, Hanover has laced together 16 consecutive seasons without a losing record. The program's last losing season came in 1991/92, when the squad finished 10-20. He led the Panthers to four straight 20-win seasons from 2001/02 to 2004/05, including a school-best 27-2 mark in 2002/03. The Panthers posted a 13-13 mark in 2007/08.
Since joining the NCAA in 1992, Hanover has won more than 70 percent of its games and been ranked in the top 20 in the country on numerous occasions. The Panthers achieved a ranking as high as second in the nation during the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons, marking the highest national ranking in the school's basketball history.
Beitzel guided Hanover to six conference championships, including five consecutive titles from 2001-2005. His squads earned five berths in the NCAA national tournament. The 1995, 1996, 2003, 2004 and 2005 teams each advanced to the second round.
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference honored Beitzel as coach of the year in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004. The National Association of Basketball Coaches honored him as Midwest District coach of the year in 1996, 2003, and 2004.
Prior to his arrival at Hanover, Beitzel served as the head coach at NCAA Division II Northern Kentucky University from 1980 to 1988. During his eight years at Northern Kentucky, he guided the Norsemen to seven consecutive winning seasons and a 125-95 record.
Before accepting his first head coaching assignment, Beitzel served as an assistant coach at the United States Naval Academy, the University of Cincinnati, the Ohio State University and the College of Wooster.
A 1968 graduate of the College of Wooster, Beitzel was the Scots' captain and most valuable player for the 1967/68 squad. Before enrolling at Wooster, Beitzel was an all-state player at New Philadelphia High School (Ohio) in the mid-1960s.