Mike Slagle, who was the Rules Commitee Chairman for the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA), has passed away at the age of 60.
NISCA announced the news this week, reporting that Slagle died of a heart attack over the weekend.
In addition to his work with NISCA, Slagle was a fixture in the Wisconsin swimming scene. According to a WISCA (Wisconsin Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association) tribute attached to the NISCA release, Slagle had coached the boys and girls high school teams at Plymouth High School for more than 60 combined seasons.
He was also the athletic director at Plymouth for 19 years and was named Athletic Director of the Year in Wisconsin’s District 4 just last year. In addition, he taught high school science at Plymouth High for 32 years.
A few of the comments about Slagle included in the WISCA tribute:
Mike has made a significant impact in the lives of students, coaches and peers throughout his highly commendable educational career,” said representatives from WADA [Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association] in presenting the [athletic director of the year] award to Slagle. “He has been a role model and mentor for everyone, and has worked tirelessly to promote interscholastic sports and the development of facilities to support quality programs at Plymouth High School.”
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Said current WISCA president Kyle Bedalov: “He was a mentor to me about swimming, about running the organization, and about life. He was a great resource because of his wealth of information and connections. One of the truly great ones out there.”
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In many ways, he epitomized the best kind of leadership: someone who simply rolled up his sleeves to get things done, someone who was always focused on the experience of kids, and someone who cared little for recognition or credit – his students’ and athletes’ accomplishments were all that really mattered to Mike.
My deepest condolences to Mike’s family. I had the privilege to serve with Mike in the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations) for few years and he was a class act. Always thinking in a positive way to improve our sport of swimming at all levels. We had great meetings and I will surely miss talking with him. RIP Mike!