Baylor coach Schaack Van Duesen talks with Stuart Doster during the 2011 TSSAA State Wrestling Championships at the Williamson County Agricultural Exposition Arena in Franklin, Tennessee.WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SCHAACK VAN DEUSEN”I had the fortune of working with Schaack for 26 years. He was always a teacher first who viewed the wrestling arena as a classroom where you teach character, manners, humility, discipline and the meaning of sacrifice and hard work in order to achieve one’s goals. Schaack exemplified for me what a privilege it was to be a part of Baylor School and its rich tradition in education and the many facets of learning lessons in life. One word particularly personifies Schaack: excellence. Even playing golf with him is a rewarding experience.”– Former UTC and Baylor wrestling coach Jim Morgan”He does the right things for the right reasons. He spent as much time as it took to get the job done, and he never wanted any credit.”– Baylor wrestling coach Ben Nelson”He is Baylor all the way. More than anyone I know, he represents the face of Baylor. I coached against all three head coaches, but he is and was the face of Baylor wrestling. It’s amazing how he can step away from the sport after each season ends, park it for eight months and then be as effective as he is. Frankly I marveled at how he’s kept up with the sport and its many changes while he follows wrestling only during the high school season. It takes a special talent that he obviously has.”– Longtime McCallie coach Gordon Connell”Coach Van Deusen has obviously had a tremendous influence on hundreds of young men during his career. The life lessons that have been taught in the wrestling room under his guidance will have a lasting impact on this world long after his tenure at Baylor is over.”– TSSAA assistant director Mark Reeves”Anybody who knows Schaack knows that he is 100 percent devoted, whether in the classroom or on the mat. There’s no doubting his commitment to cultivating not just great wrestlers but great men; his humility and quiet passion have instilled respect for him among the students and certainly makes a parent like me grateful that my three children were able to work and grow with him while at Baylor.”– Baylor parent Dr. Keith Helton”Schaack has been a major part of wrestling in Tennessee. He always coached hard, competed hard but always with class and as a professional.”– former TSSAA executive director Ronnie Carter”When he announced his retirement, he did it in true Schaack fashion: no great fanfare, all attention on the kids. The sport of wrestling in this area was blessed to have Coach Schaack van Deusen.”– longtime Cleveland coach Al Miller
Schaack Van Deusen doesn’t own a cell phone and probably never will. It will be more difficult to find him, though, when the current school year ends.
He recently followed through on a personal plan, announcing he would retire from Baylor after 35 years in the school’s drama department and as an assistant wrestling coach.
“I had planned on retiring at the same time my daughter [Sarah] graduated. I’ve coached and directed for 40 years, and that seems a nice round number,” he said. “I’m going to play golf, raise my fourth-grade daughter and be the chauffeur [to and from Baylor] when she gets to the sixth grade.
“I’m going to miss it a lot, but quite frankly I wanted to go out on top of my game. I was a huge baseball fan as a kid, and it always disturbed me to watch my heroes stay in the game too long.”