Dream come true
Ex-Triton Tyndall leads Morehead State to NCAA TournamentBy ERIC PRATT, Sports Editor
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Fact Box
THE DONNIE TYNDALL FILE
Age: 38.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Mich.
Family: Wife Christi; Daughters Taylor, age 9, and Grace, age 6.
Position: Head men's basketball coach, Morehead State University, Morehead, Ky.
Coaching Career
Assistant, Iowa Central, 1994-96.
Freshman head coach, Fort Dodge Senior High, 1994-95.
Head coach, St. Catharine (Ky.), 1996-97).
Assistant, Louisiana State, 1997-2001.
Assistant, Idaho, 2001-02.
Assistant, M. Tennessee State, 2002-2006.
Head coach, Morehead State, 2006-present.
Playing Career
Iowa Central, 1989-90.
Morehead St., 1990-93.
MOREHEAD, Ky. - Donnie Tyndall's coaching career began as an unpaid assistant at Iowa Central Community College, where he served as a dormitory watch dog in the wee hours of the morning to make ends meet.
Today, he's a feel-good story at the epicenter of March Madness.
Tyndall's 19-15 Morehead State Eagles qualified for the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic double-overtime victory over Austin Peay in the Ohio Valley Conference championship game last Saturday night in Nashville, Tenn. It was a ''dream come true'' moment for the 38-year-old Tyndall, a former Triton player and coach under Dennis Pilcher in the early- to mid-1990s.
''Other than my wedding day and the birth of my two daughters, it was the most incredible moment of my life,'' beamed Tyndall, who is in the third season as head coach at his alma mater. ''To lead the program I once played for back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years - the emotions have been overwhelming.
''Even now that it's sunk in a little, you still have to stop and pinch yourself every once in a while to make sure it's real. Of course as a coach, you always talk to the kids about hard work paying off and the possibility of making it to the Big Dance. When it actually happens, though, it's really hard to believe - (the staff) looked at each other and said, 'did we just do that?'''
A native of Grand Rapids, Mich., Tyndall decided to try his luck as a college basketball player after finishing an all-state senior season at Northview High School. He had Div. I aspirations, but no offers.
''I had some D-II opportunities, but I wanted more,'' said Tyndall. ''I came to Iowa because of its strong junior college basketball reputation, and visited some of the top JUCO programs in the state.
''Coach Pilcher made an immediate impression. I knew I wanted to play for him right away. He was a tough, disciplined, demanding coach, which was exactly what I was looking for.''
Tyndall played for Iowa Central during the 1989-90 campaign, earning all-region honors and being named the school's athlete of the year after averaging 15 points and eight assists per game. He then transferred to Morehead State, where he was a three-year letterman.
''Donnie was a hard-nosed kid who loved to compete,'' said Pilcher, who recently completed his 30th season as the Tritons' head coach. ''It was one of those situations where I didn't recruit him - he recruited me. He was wanting to get to the next level, and he really had a solid year for us. I'm glad he found us.''
When Tyndall graduated from MSU in 1993, he gave Pilcher a call.
''I knew I wanted to get into the profession, and Coach Pilcher had an opening on his staff,'' Tyndall recalled. ''It wasn't a paid position, so I lived in the dorms and worked dorm security to make a few dollars.
''My shift was 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., and in the fall, I took the freshman (head coaching) position at Fort Dodge Senior High. So I'd work overnight and go to morning practice (at FDSH).''
Tyndall stayed at Iowa Central through the 1995-96 campaign, and tabs Pilcher as the man who laid the foundation for his coaching career.
''I learned so much working for him,'' Tyndall said. ''He helped me develop a core philosophy, and gave me a lot of responsibilities as a recruiter. Those two years back in Fort Dodge were invaluable for me.''
In 1996, Tyndall was named the head coach at St. Catharine College in Kentucky. SCC went 30-5 that year, and Tyndall became the youngest coach in NAIA history to lead a team to the national tournament.
Div. I assistant positions at LSU, Idaho and Middle Tennessee State followed. Tyndall was hired by Morehead State in 2006.
The Eagles, who were 4-23 overall the year before Tyndall's arrival, improved to 12-18 and 15-15 in his first two seasons at the helm. They were 16-15 and losers of four straight games at the beginning of the OVC Tournament last week, when they came to life as the No. 4 seed.
Morehead State, a school of 9,000 students in a town of just 5,900 people which kisses the western edge of the Appalacian Mountains, defeated Eastern Kentucky, Tennessee Martin and Austin Peay to automatically advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984. Freshman Steve Peterson's jump shot with 1.6 seconds left sealed the banner victory.
Since last Sunday, Tyndall has conducted interviews with ''ESPN (television), Rivals, Fox Sports, ESPN Radio - you name it.''
''It's been a lot of fun; this is a tremendous opportunity to talk about the team, the program and our town,'' Tyndall said. ''(On Selection Sunday this evening), CBS is coming and doing a live feed from the student union on campus. We're going to really make the most of this; (the exposure) isn't something you see every day around here.''
Tyndall still communicates with Pilcher on a regular basis.
''We talk all the time,'' Tyndall said proudly. ''Coach Pilcher was in my wedding. He's one of my best friends in life; I wouldn't be where I am today without him.
''He's been like a second father to me.''
Tyndall enjoyed a homecoming of sorts earlier this season, when Morehead State played Drake in Des Moines. Pilcher attended the game, along with a host of other friends from Iowa.
''I had my own cheering section,'' Tyndall said. ''I still hear from (ICCC) assistant Chad Helle once in a while - I helped recruit Chad. I stay in touch with (Iowa Central vice president of enrollment management and student development) Tom Beneke, and a lot of my ex-(Dodger) players, like Nick (Page) and Matt (Salvatore).
''After (the NCAA-clinching victory), I got a congratulatory e-mail from (former FDSH head coach) Terry Paulson. It's nice to hear from so many good people I've gotten to know through the years.
''This is a special, special situation, and it means a lot to share it with my friends from across the country.''
Pilcher hopes to attend Morehead State's first-round contest. Tyndall admitted that the Eagles ''will likely be a No. 16 seed - maybe a 15 if we catch a few breaks.''
''It'd be nice if they were in the midwest (region), because I'd like to make the trip and see it first-hand,'' said Pilcher, who has another former assistant, Joel Van Meter, on Tyndall's staff. ''Either way, I wish Donnie the the best of luck. This is a big moment for him, and a proud one for me.''
Conact Eric Pratt at (515) 573-2141, or by e-mail at sports@messengernews.net
