Lou Bohnsack (2002) - Hall of Fame

Lou Bohnsack

Induction:
2002
Class:
1953

Lou Bohnsack had an overwhelming love of sports. In high school, he was a member of the 1948 Manning Iowa State Basketball Championship team and the following year, he earned All-Southwest Conference honors in football and basketball. His senior year, he proved to be an all-around athlete by earning second team all-state basketball recognition and fifth team all-state mention in football.

In 1929, he turned down an offer from the University of Nebraska, deciding he was not ready to leave Iowa. He attended Iowa State Teacher's College from 1949-1953. His determination and great desire led him to be a successful student-athlete in football, basketball, and baseball. He played basketball under coach Hon Nordly and baseball under Mon Whitford in 1949-1950. He played football under Buck Starbeck from 1949-1953. It was said by many that he was the best all-around athlete in the state of Iowa at the time.

His compassion led him to earn all-conference first team center honors in 1951 and 1952. And in 1952, he was named a first team Little All-America center after earning honorable mention All-America accolades the previous season. Bohnsack was invited to join the Cleveland Browns spring training camp upon graduation but declined, saying it was time to "hang up the jock" and move on with his life.

After college, he became the head football coach and girls basketball coach at Reinbeck (Iowa) High School from 1953-55. In 1955, Bohnsack became the head football and boys track coach at Ida Grove (Iowa) High School. Five years later, he went to Fairfield (Iowa) High School and became the athletic director and head football coach from 1960-65. Bohnsack then decided to move to Esterville (Iowa) School District in 1965 to take the positions of middle school principal, high school principal, and assistant superintendent, where he remained until his death in 1974. He earned his bachelor's in physical education from ISTC in 1953 and went on to earn his master's in school administration from the University of Iowa in 1965.