Family, like his father Frank, and friends played a large role in St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso’s career. As a center, Caruso played on two state championship teams at Greenwich High (Connecticut) and reached the NCAA Division III playoffs twice at Ithaca College (New York). (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
A young Caruso holds his first football helmet (left) and poses for a youth football picture (middle). Caruso was named the 29th coach in the 109-year history of St. Thomas football in 2008 and has led the Tommies to 86 wins since being hired. (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
A member of the St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame, women’s cross country and track and field coach Joe Sweeney ran cross country for the University of St. Thomas in the mid-1970s. Sweeney, the 1995 National Coach of the Year for track and field, is the longest-tenured coach in St. Thomas history at 36 years. (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
A standout player for the Tommies in the 1970s, men’s hockey coach Jeff Boeser was the 1974 MIAC MVP and led the Tommies to the NAIA national tournament his junior and senior years. A member of the St. Thomas Athletic Hall of Fame, Boeser is still third on the Tommies’ all-time career-scoring list with 201 points (97 goals, 104 assists). (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas men’s track and field coach Steve Mathre was a six-time MIAC hurdle champion, a five-time All-American and 1988 NCAA runner-up in the 400 hurdles during his athletic career at St. Olaf College. Mathre has led the Tommies to 25 consecutive MIAC indoor track and field titles in his first 25 seasons with the program. (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
A 17th-round draft choice by the Milwaukee Brewers in 1999, St. Thomas baseball coach Chris Olean pitched for the Tommies from 1995 to 1999. Olean has guided the Tommies to a 201-59-1 record and five MIAC championships in his first six seasons at the helm. (Miranda Lockner/TommieMedia)
Click on the “i” icon in the lower-left of the pictures to see the captions.
From excellence during their playing careers to leading others to success during theirs, photojournalist Miranda Lockner looked at St. Thomas coaches through the years.
So where’s the story?