Iowa City West baseball coach Charlie Stumpff retires after 37-year coaching career

IOWA CITY — Charlie Stumpff said he still enjoyed coaching and he maintained a good rapport with players.

But, with the Iowa City West baseball program in good shape with lots of experience and pitching back next season, Stumpff decided it was time to place it in someone else’s hands.

“I don’t know if there’s a right time, so it was just ‘the time,’” Stumpff said in a phone interview with The Gazette. “A couple years ago when I retired from teaching I thought about it. Parents said, ‘You still like doing it, Chuck. You still got got good kids, Chuck.’ Well, I don’t know if I’ll ever stop liking it and I don’t know if I’d ever stop having good kids. I could be running this thing forever. It just felt right.”

Stumpff confirmed Thursday that he has resigned as Trojans baseball coach after a 37-year career, including 32 at West. He recorded 877 career victories with 803 during his tenure with the Trojans.

“We appreciate everything that Coach Stumpff has done, not only for the baseball program at West, but also for everything he has done for the West High Community,” West Activities Director B.J. Mayer said in Thursday’s news release. “He has been a mentor to me as a coach and many other coaches at West. He is always willing to help out, whether it be at football games, at basketball games and at track meets. We wish him the best in his retirement and hope to continue to see him at West events.”

West was in a transition in the early 1990s. Stumpff coached at Northeast Hamilton, leading the program to the 1991 state tournament. Originally from Norway, he moved to West to be closer to family.

Stumpff arrived about the same time as football coach Reese Morgan, helping usher a new era for the Trojans.

“Everything just exploded,” Stumpff said. “Felt pretty confident in what I could bring. I had no idea what was going to transpire in 32 years. Incredible players, incredible parents, incredible coaching staff. I was living a dream doing this. It worked out for me. It was a great ride.”

Stumpff elevated West to new levels of success. He led the Trojans to 11 of their 12 state tournament appearances. West qualified for state in 2004 for the first time since 1981. The Trojans earned state runner-up finishes in 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016. West won 11 Mississippi Valley Conference divisional titles under Stumpff.

Tom Cronk played for Stumpff at West and joined him as an assistant before becoming the first varsity coach at Iowa City Liberty. He recalled how Stumpff affected everyone around him.

“I was lucky to have both played for and coached with Charlie for many years,” Cronk said. “What I appreciated most was how much fun every day was. He is incredibly smart and witty and the stories and experiences he has had are amazing. It was infectious.

“Baseball was pretty much a full-time job for us in the summer (but) it never felt that way. I woke up every morning excited to go to practice and see what was next. He pushed us (coaches and players) to get better and ‘enjoy the ride.’”

His effort yielded 10 MVC Coach of the Year honors, eight Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year awards and one State Coach of the Year distinction.

Kyle Rodenkirk faced Stumpff’s West teams as the current Linn-Mar head coach and as a Cedar Rapids Jefferson player and coach. Rodenkirk said Stumpff was kind of a mentor of his when he began coaching.

Rodenkirk expected a fundamentally sound team that could win in a variety of ways.

“He was a great competitor and a good guy to coach against,” Rodenkirk said. “They were games you geared up for.

“He gave so much to the baseball community. I’m happy he had such a great career. I know he’ll enjoy his time off and will probably watch a lot of (St. Louis) Cardinals games now.”

The IHSBCA Hall of Famer also coached 26 first-team all-state players.

“I receive a lot more than I gave,” Stumpff said multiple times Thursday.

“When I was coaching, there wasn’t a colleague I respected more than Coach Stumpff,” West Principal Mitch Gross said in the news release. “He was extremely successful, but more importantly, he did things the right way.

“As principal, I can say that nobody embodies the excellence of West more than Charlie. The impact he has had on our school and our students is immeasurable.”

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