Coach Brian Luke’s slated induction into MSHSL Hall of Fame
Coach Brian Luke instructs drills to the girls Swim and dive athletes senior Abby Hanson, freshman Gaby Miller, eighth grader Hailey Schmidt, seventh grader Lucy Pacsoza. Girls swim and dive preps for their JV conference and varsity sections.
On Oct. 12, Brian Luke was announced as one of the twelve inductees into the 2022 class of the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame.
Having previously been inducted into the Minnesota State Swimming and Diving Coaches Association in 2012 and the Minnesota State Coaches Association in 2019, swim and dive coach, Luke said this slated induction, “just came out of the blue.”
“State coaches association, that is a very high honor. This one was really high up, I just assumed they wouldn’t consider me,” Luke said.
Jumping into his 47th season coaching, Luke has led the ponies to many victories, also meeting many personal milestones.
Luke has led the ponies to 52 conference titles (28 girls, 24 boys), 39 section championships (21 girls, 18 boys) and 7 True Team State titles. He coached athletes to 29 state titles (18 girls, 11 boys) and eight state championship relays (7 girls, 1 boy). He has been Minnesota’s Swimming Coach of the year five times. On Sept. 30, Luke coached his 1,500 meet leading the team to victory against White Bear Lake.
Luke has been coaching since 1975. He coached directly against his dad, Elmer Brian, for two decades. Elmer was a coach for 39 years.
Being a state champion swimmer himself, Elmer had a passion for coaching kids in the sport he fell in love with growing up. He is a member of the Halls of Fames for the MN Swim Coaches Assoc., MN Coaches Association, Gustavus Adolphus College and Hopkins H.S. When it was time for Elmer to retire, he left Hopkins High School, and became an assistant coach for Luke.
Elmer died in 2015, leaving behind a legacy passed to his son, which he carried without hesitation. In 2015, Luke broke the record of 125 consecutive dual meets previously held by Elmer, back when he coached at Hopkins. This record now stretches to a winning streak of 182.
Carrying on the knowledge passed down from his father, Luke was able to better himself as a coach.
“One thing that I really liked about Coach Luke is he’s tough on people, but it’s a good tough. You have to earn his respect,” senior boys captain Sam Cieglar said.
For many years, while coaching, Luke was a junior high chemistry teacher. He was able to take his methods of classroom expectations, and apply them to his team during practice.
If you set a bar high and you expect them to come to the bar, they will. If you keep lowering the bar down to them, they’ll just keep going down. They’ll never catch up.
— Coach Luke Brian
Applying the methods Luke developed as a teacher to his coaching, has brought a new aspect into these athletes lives. This system of high standards Luke applied to their practices, weren’t achieved through skill, but through work ethic.
The beneficial point of Luke’s coaching is for the development of the athlete, but also the development of the person. About five years ago, Luke changed the programs name to Stillwater’s Swimming and Diving Education Program.
“It’s called co-curricular. You’re supposed to be educated,” Luke said. “When you’re 25 years old, nobody cares about how fast you can swim. They care about all those positive life characteristics you’ve learned.”
Many of his athletes, such as senior captain Eva Johns, have realized how beneficial his methods have become in school.
“Discipline is something that helps so much in school to where I realize I need to get this started and this done, which I feel like I’ve definitely learned from swimming,” Johns said.
Luke describes coaching as a philosophy. Finding a balance between two people, in this case an athlete and their coach. Athletes see Luke as more than just a coach. They see him as their mentor. Luke created an environment thats beneficial towards healthy habits and mindsets, while also training state champions. He upheld a legacy from his father, while paving his own.
I am Maya Disher, a Senior at Stillwater Area High School. I am the photography editor-in-chief and a copy editor. I am also the photographer for the varsity...
