Frosty Westering
Now retired Pacific Lutheran University football head coach Frosty
Westering is a member of a select fraternity: college football
coaches who have won at least 300 games. This group--a Who's Who of
collegiate football--includes Eddie Robinson, John Gagliardi, Paul
"Bear" Bryant, Charles "Pop" Warner, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Joe Paterno
and Bobby Bowden. Westering picked up his 300th career victory in
the second game of the 2003 season, adding to his legacy. Westering
compiled an incredible 305-96-7 overall record (.756 winning
percentage) in 40 seasons as a college coach.
Westering's long and storied career, which included a 32-year tenure of winning teams at Pacific Lutheran, was marked by continued excellence, leading to his January 1995 induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame. Westering, born on Dec. 5, 1927, came to PLU in 1972 after successful coaching stops at Parsons College (Iowa) and Lea College (Minnesota). After Westering's arrival at PLU, excellence was the trademark of EMAL ("Every Man A Lute") football. In addition to winning the 1999 NCAA Division III championship (which it did by becoming the first team to win five straight road games), Pacific Lutheran won NAIA Division II national titles in 1980, 1987 and 1993 and finished as national runner-up in 1983, 1985, 1991 and 1994. His overall record at Pacific Lutheran was a staggering 261-70-5 (.784 winning percentage), and no PLU team under his guidance suffered a losing season. Westering coached 26 NAIA and NCAA First Team All-Americans, and with him at the helm Pacific Lutheran appeared in 15 NAIA Division II national playoffs from 1979-97. In addition, his teams advanced to the Division III playoffs in four of PLU's six years as an NCAA member (through the 2003 season). In the decade of the 90s, PLU compiled an impressive 93-19-2 record (.825 winning percentage), ranking in the top 20 among gridiron programs at all collegiate levels. Excellence on the football field, however, was only a by-product of Westering's overall life philosophy. He emphasized a double-win theme: victory on the scoreboard and the satisfaction of playing to one's personal potential. Westering, a football letter-winner at both Northwestern and Nebraska-Omaha and a Marine drill instructor, has written a book, Make The Big Time Where You Are, which deals with his double-win philosophy. Pacific Lutheran football players also portrayed excellence in the classroom and in the community, where they are role models for hundreds of youth in the Parkland area through their personal involvement at several Tacoma area schools. They annually donated approximately 2,000 hours at the schools. A full professor with a doctorate in Education from the University of Northern Colorado, Westering specializes in sports motivation and sports psychology and is in high demand as a speaker at regional and national gatherings. Westering is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He and his wife, Donna, have five children and 13 grandchildren. ACCOMPLISHMENTS / AWARDS / HONORS
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND 1952-56 . . . . . . . . Coach at
Elkader (IA) High School, 26-8-1 |
1999 NCAA Division III National Champions 1993, 1987,1980 NAIA Division II National Champions 1994, 1991, 1985, 1983 NAIA Division II Playoffs: 1979, 1981, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1996 |
