Ex-Milan boys basketball coach Ron Dingman dies at age 89

Monroe County Region basketball has lost a legend.

Former Milan coach Ron Dingman passed away last week at the age of 89 at his home in Platt Lake.

Dingman coached Milan for 33 seasons, compiling a 392-302 mark from 1964 to 1996.

The Big Reds won nine Southeastern Conference titles during his run plus seven district titles, the last one coming in 1996. He was the Monroe News Coach of the Year in 1979. His 1981-82 Milan team was the most successful, going 21-2.

He coached one of the greatest basketball players in Region history in Stan Joplin.

"I enjoyed playing for Mr. Dingman," Joplin said in a 2013 interview. "He stressed team basketball. He provided me with a solid foundation as a player and into the coaching profession. ... I was very fortunate to play basketball at Milan High School."

The family says condolences have been pouring in.

More: Milan’s Stan Joplin knows the value of home

“From all of the stuff I have gotten lately, he was a great guy and a really positive influence,” said his son Kurt Dingman, a 1977 Milan graduate who played basketball at the school for his father. “He was a great father.”

Dingman is the third-winningest boys basketball coach in Monroe County Region history.

“He was very competitive,” Kurt Dingman said. “He spent a lot of preparing time. That was the reason he was successful. He put in a lot of time.”

Steve Porter, a longtime track and cross country coach at Milan, spent a lot of time with Dingman.

“I did my student teaching with Ron, taught math and negotiated contracts with him and took over the union when he retired,” Porter said. “He was a great coach, a great teacher and a fine person.  I learned a lot about teaching and coaching from Ron.”

COLLEGE CROSS COUNTRY

EMU hires Whitelaw

YPSILANTI – Monroe High graduate Austin Whitelaw has been hired as men’s cross country and assistant track and field coach at Eastern Michigan.

The 2011 Monroe High graduate placed second in the Division 1 state finals then became an NCAA national qualifier in cross country and the 5,000 meters in track and field in 2015 and 2016.

"We're extremely excited to have Austin join our team," said Chris Best, the co-director of track and field at EMU. "He has a lot of great connections to the state where he was one of the top high school runners, his mother is an Eastern alum, his dad used to work at Eastern, and was coached by an Eastern alum in high school. We're excited to bring Austin home to the great state of Michigan, and for him to help our distance runners continue to be one of the top programs in the conference and in the region."

Whitelaw has been coaching in college for three years. He worked one year at Tennessee, then was an assistant track and field and cross country coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Connecticut the past two years.

"I am honored to join the staff at Eastern Michigan University and take on this opportunity," Whitelaw said. "EMU has the tradition, support, and resources to compete for championships.”

PRO BASEBALL

Two walk-offs for Scott

TOLEDO – Stephen Scott delivered walk-off hits on back-to-back nights for the Toledo Mud Hens.

Ryan Kreidler tripled to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning and was singled home by Scott for a 7-6 win over the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Friday night.

Scott came through again in the 10th Saturday. His RBI single plated the winner in an 8-7 victory over the same team.

Scott was signed by Detroit in March after he was released by Boston. He hit .287 with 5 home runs and 19 RBI at Double-A Erie in 29 games and boasts a .293 average with 3 homers and 15 RBI in 24 games at Toledo.

Schreiber makes step

KANSAS CITY – Gibraltar Carlson graduate John Schreiber threw a successful bullpen session Thursday and was slated to throw off a mound again Sunday.

After that, the Kansas City Royals will determine the next step in his recovery from a right knee patella tendon injury he suffered in late July.

Schreiber has a 4.14 earned-run average out of the bullpen for the Royals this season.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Ex-Milan boys basketball coach Ron Dingman dies at age 89