After humble beginnings, a winning athletic department emerges with the help of several dedicated coaches
Now 30 years old, the North Lake Athletic Department takes much pride in its past and holds much hope for its future.
After three decades in the Metro Athletic Conference (MAC), the North Lake Blazers own one national and four conference titles in men's basketball, one national runner- up and seven conference titles in men's baseball, one conference title in women's volleyball.
Last season, the men's basketball team finished fourth nationally, and the women's volleyball and soccer teams made it to the conference playoffs for the first time this decade.
"We are very strong in all four sports," Athletic Director Dan Joutras said. "We have solid programs, full teams, full-time coaches, and dedicated individuals who want to see the programs be the best they can be."
But the athletic program had a humble beginning with only one coach.
The first chapter of North Lake team sports began with the hiring of a dual athletic director and basketball coach, Neil Johnston - an NBA Hall of Famer who coached the Portland Trailblazers in the early 1970s.
North Lake initially adopted the mascot name "Blazer Bears" in honor of Johnston's association with the Trailblazers. Later, it became just the "Blazers."
In the fall of 1978, Johnston hired Harvey Miller to coach baseball. Another instructor, Shirley Thompson, coached women's basketball, women's volleyball, tennis and co-ed slow-pitch softball.
After Johnston suffered a fatal heart attack, Miller coached both men's basketball and baseball teams and taught other sports, as well.
"It was very difficult," Miller said. "From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., we had a pretty heavy schedule. I had to wear 10 different hats, but it was fun being able to contribute. We all got together as a family."
Paul Baldwin, currently the fitness center director at Richland College, replaced Miller as the basketball coach for seven years until 1988. Marvin Kelly took over the coaching the following year, but the basketball program ended for a while because of players' poor academic performance.
In the early 1990s, the basketball program rebounded under two new coaches, Phil Dutton and Jerry Tripp. But North Lake basketball went big time after the hiring of Tim McGraw in 1997.
McGraw started by improving the gym and related facilities to attract new players.
"The gym was terrible. But we went from the worst to the best facility," McGraw said. "Now we have 20 good players, but back then only three to four."
Under McGraw, the Blazers won or tied for MAC titles in 2000, 2004, 2005 and 2007. The basketball team capped perhaps the most memorable season in North Lake sports history by winning its first national title, the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III championship.
The baseball program also started small. Its geographical reach was limited to the area surrounding the college, said Miller.
"For the first five years, we very seldom got out of the [Dallas-Fort Worth] Metroplex," said Miller, who now teaches physical education classes. "We didn't do recruiting like we do today. We stayed in our recruiting area in Irving and Grand Prairie, or sometimes Tarrant County."
The baseball team had its first defining moments of glory after Dan Joutras became the coach in 1981. The team won four conference championships in 1985-87 and 1990.
When Joutras became the athletic director in 1990, a new coach, Steve Cummings, continued the baseball team's winning ways in 1991, 1992 and 1994. The team finished third nationally in 1992, and was runner-up in the '94 NJCAA World Series.
Cummings continued to coach the team until his former player and North Lake graduate, Corey Mercer, took over the position in 2004.
The baseballers placed fourth in the MAC last season. But Mercer is confident the team's return to glory is just a couple of hard sliders and a few line drives away.
"The team is very competitive. I think it'll definitely be better than last year," Mercer said.
Women's sports traveled a few bumpy roads after their start in 1978. But Shirley Thompson, former athletic director and the first women's coach at North Lake, noted that they enjoyed success over several seasons.
"We had a viable program [in volleyball]. We won a MAC championship one year and runner-up for two different years," said Thompson, who now teaches math at North Lake.
After Thompson retired from coaching in the early 1980s, women's volleyball faded. During the 1990s, Lisa Schmitz briefl y revived the program. But it ceased activity again and did not resume competition until Cummings left baseball to coach the team in 2004.
Last season, after being a club team for two years, the volleyball team played its first full schedule under Cummings. It fi nished third in the conference.
"It's going better each year," Cummings said. "Being on the other side of it, I know the difference between men's and women's sports. I think we're closing the gap a little and moving in the right direction."
In 2001, women' soccer made its debut at North Lake with Jim Benedek as the head coach. Last season, the team made a playoff appearance for the first time, and finished third in the conference.
After leading the soccer team for five seasons, Benedek retired this year. The new coach, Adrian Gonzalez is optimistic about the new team.
"The last team was the strongest team we had since we started the program. This year's team is even stronger. I think we have a good shot at winning the MAC," Gonzalez said.
As non-scholarship teams, North Lake's Blazers may not have received as much attention as they deserved over the past three decades. But they remain competitive.
"We don't have scholarships, so we just need to look a little harder to get good players. I feel we should have more people come to attend our games. Our kids are definitely worth watching," McGraw said.
The competitive spirit of student athletes is contagious, officials noted.
"I'd like to see that every sport wins a national championship," Joutras said.
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 Special to the News-Register This picture of the Men’s Basketball team was taken on Nov. 18, 1978, after a loss to Alvin 88-63 in the championship game of the pre-season tournament held at North Lake College. |
