Messenger file photo: The J.H. Nitzke Track inside Dodger Stadium. The surface was named to honor the Fort Dodge coaching legend 30 years ago this May.

In 1992, the baseball field at Dodger Stadium was named after Hall of Fame coach Ed McNeil.

McNeil, who had died of a heart attack the year prior, was an icon in both Fort Dodge and baseball circles. His name in our community will always be synonymous with the sport, which saw tremendous success both during his long tenure at FDSH and in the decades that followed.

What some people may not realize or remember is that two years later, in 1994, the Dodger Stadium track — not more than a shout away from the ivy-clad walls of the ball diamond — was dedicated to honor another Fort Dodge legend.

Julian “J.H.” Nitzke may not necessarily carry the same name recognition of McNeil today, but his list of accomplishments are every bit as important in the world of local running. It was Nitzke who founded and became the first head coach of the FDSH cross country program in 1966; Nitzke who started the Dodger Relays; and Nitzke who initiated the movement for a state-of-the-art track in the 1960s inside Dodger Stadium.

Fort Dodge squads were a force under his direction, which started in 1956-57 when Nitzke was hired as a physical education teacher, assistant football and basketball and head track coach for the Dodgers. The track program set multiple school records, and placed second at state in 1969.

Nitzke, a World War II veteran, coached at FDSH until his retirement in 1977. His body of work in the area wasn’t limited to just the Dodgers and track, though; Nitzke, a rural Albert City native, spent eight seasons at Rockwell City High School, where he had two state runner-up track squads as well as undefeated teams in football (1947) and basketball (1951).

The man affectionately called “Nitz” was also a veteran football and basketball official for four decades, and served as an assistant coach for multiple other Fort Dodge programs. The graduate of both Buena Vista College and Drake University is an Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Famer, and also spent years as a staff member at the Iowa State University Track Clinic.

Nitzke spearheaded the birth of the Dodger Relays, which were offered for the first time on his watch in the late-1950s. The girls version would later be added in the early-1980s.

After retirement, Nitzke worked part-time at Kautzky’s Sporting Goods — which later became Decker Sporting Goods — in downtown Fort Dodge. He spent most of his post-teaching and coaching life, though, with his grandchildren.

Nitkze passed away in 2001 at the age of 89. His wife, Beverly, recently celebrated her 90th birthday and is currently living in Cedar Rapids.

May 6 marks the 30th anniversary of the J.H. Nitzke Track dedication ceremony. Nitzke was a Fort Dodge track and cross country pioneer who experienced sustained success and influenced the lives of thousands of students in our area during his 30-plus year teaching and coaching career. His memory lives on through the programs he helped build within the historic brick walls of Dodger Stadium.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt