Milinkovich honored for 50 years of coaching

By: 
Patrick Fisher, pfisher@newpraguetimes.com

Dick Milinkovich, a New Prague resident, was honored recently at the Belle Plaine Awards Night for 50 years of coaching. His coaching career has been as a head coach and an assistant coach for nearly every sport in high school athletics. He has coached in Belle Plaine, New Prague, Milroy, Montgomery, Arlington-Green Isle and Sibley East. (Submitted photo)

Belle Plaine High School, in conjunction with the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association, recently presented Dick Milinkovich a plaque for his 50 years in coaching. Milinkovich, a resident of New Prague and 1964 graduate of New Prague High School, was presented with the honor during Belle Plaine Award Nights after serving as the girls assistant basketball coach this year.

“It was a surprise,” said Milinkovich of the honor. Milinkovich has been a head coach and assistant coach for area high schools. He has been a head coach for football, boys basketball, girls volleyball, girls basketball and is currently a volunteer coach for Belle Plaine’s track team. He started his coaching in 1972 in New Prague with John Bush.

“He was a great mentor,” said Milinkovich. “I still use a lot today in coaching that I learned from him.” He added that he also appreciated how his late wife Nancy, who he had been married to for 30 years, supported his coaching career.

Besides New Prague and Belle Plaine he has also coached in Milroy, Montgomery, Arlington-Green Isle and Sibley East. He taught for Montgomery-Lonsdale schools from 1993 to 2004.

“I met Dick in 1979. I was a first year teacher/coach in Arlington-Green Isle,” said Randy Carlson, who eventually became Belle Plaine’s head coach for both the boys and girls basketball programs and is now retired. “I was fortunate to have a room right next to Dick and got to know him well. He allowed me to be part of his basketball program for the next five years. I learned the ins and outs of what it takes to be a head coach of a sport from him.”

“I have had the opportunity to coach with Dick Milinkovich the past four seasons in our girls basketball program here at Belle Plaine,” said Mindy Chevalier, Belle Plaine’s Head Girls Basketball Coach and High School Principal. Dick was the 9th grade coach my first three seasons and this past year he was my Varsity Assistant Coach.”

“There have been a lot of....

To see more on this story pick up the April 21, 2022 print edition of The New Prague Times or the Montgomery Messenger papers. 

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