Bethany Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023

Jones bids farewell

BY LANCE SCHWARTZ ’86 • CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER

Longtime Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) professor and head women’s basketball coach Lyle Jones announced in April his intent to retire after the 2022-23 academic year due to health concerns. Jones began his successful coaching tenure at Bethany in 1990 and also taught in the Health and Human Performance Department. He also served as a past head coach for men’s soccer and women’s softball. Jones coached women’s basketball for a combined twenty-one years.

Jones said in April, “Early in the 2022-23 basketball season my health started to affect both daily activities and my coaching. I pushed through the issues, but I did not feel like myself, and continued to the point where I had to miss a few games late in the season.”

He added, “It’s my intent to focus my time completely on my family and my health. This is not an easy thing for me as I love coaching and mentoring our student-athletes. I am incredibly grateful to God for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had at Bethany and in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). It’s been a true blessing to be able to coach so many wonderful student-athletes. I’ll treasure these memories.”

In twenty-one seasons at the helm of the women’s basketball program, competing first in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and then the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) DIII, Jones’ teams compiled an impressive 381-180 (67% winning percentage) record. His accomplishments include:

NJCAA

• Three Minnesota Community College Conference (MCCC) state championships

• Eight MCCC Southern Division titles

• Two NJCAA Region XIII titles

• MCCC Coach of the Year (1994, 1995)

• NJCAA Regional Coach of the Year (2001, 2002)

• Women’s Basketball Coaches Association District 4 Coach of the Year (1995) where he was one of seven finalists for national coach of the year

NCAA DIII

• Three Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championships

• Three UMAC regular season championships

• Two NCAA National Tournament appearances (2019, 2020)

• UMAC Coach of the Year (2019, 2020, 2022)

• Head coach of the 2021 USA Division III Basketball Select Team

Jones has led incredibly successful teams in his twenty-one seasons of coaching.

Under Jones, Bethany teams were ranked in the national polls and were in the top ten in the nation in offense and defense multiple seasons. He coached ten NJCAA and KODAK All-Americans.

Bethany’s Co-Athletic Director Pat Garvin said, “I know this is both a gut-wrenching as well as a courageous decision Lyle is making. We will miss his encouraging, Bethany-first outlook on the floor and in the classroom. Lyle has embodied what it means to be a coach and mentor at Bethany.”