On the brink of 2,000: Q&A with Larry Niemeyer

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Cedar Rapids Jefferson softball coach Larry Niemeyer is on the brink of a milestone.

Niemeyer has won 1,994 games in his 50-year career. He could reach the 2,000-victory plateau as early as Friday.

Here are excerpts from Niemeyer's conversation Thursday with SourceMedia Group reporter Jeff Linder (full context is in the videos below):

Linder: In general, what are your thoughts as you approach your 2,000th win?

Niemeyer: Everyone is making a bigger deal about it than me. It means I've had an opportunity to coach a lot of great kids, some very good athletes that love the sport of softball. Nobody has done this before, but then again, most people haven't coached as long as I have. If I could coach, go right home, sit and watch the Cubs and have a Pepsi, I would be perfectly happy with that situation.

Linder: What drew you into coaching?

Niemeyer: I always wanted to coach. It started (back home) in Burlington. I was coaching a group of kids. We had scrimmaged two games. Somebody in the Babe Ruth League said I could have the coaching job (of an all-star team). I said I would take the position if I could coach the team I had been working with.

Linder: Did you ever think you'd be coaching girls?

Niemeyer: I never thought about coaching girls. When I got my first job (at Adel), I wasn't even thinking of coaching. The superintendent asked if I would be interested in coaching girls' basketball. The first game I coached in six-on-six basketball was the first game I saw.

Linder: What has made you so successful?

Niemeyer: Coaching is easy for me. I think I understand both games (basketball and softball) really well. I am a very detailed person. If I send an e-mail, I proof-read it, then double-check it. I like to do things correctly. If we do something wrong in a game, the next night, we work on it. In softball, nobody practices the way we do. In a three-hour practice, we don't cover half of the things we could.

Linder: What coaches did you learn from?

Niemeyer: Dean Roe taught me a lot about basketball. He taught me about the pulse of the game. He taught me how to control tempo. Bill Hennessey taught me a lot about the short game in softball. Gary Page taught me a lot. When I go to a game, just to relax and watch, I dissect the game. We outwork everybody.

Linder: What was your fondest memory?

Niemeyer: (Daughters) Nancee and Noreen, when we won the state basketball championship in 1993. Probably just coaching my kids, my three daughters (Natalie is the youngest).

Linder: And your biggest disappointment or regret?

Niemeyer: Not being able to spend more time with my son (Nick). When he was playing (baseball), I was so busy coaching softball, I didn't spend the time with him that I wanted to.

Linder: What's it like having Nick and Natalie alongside you (as assistant coaches)?

Niemeyer: It's fun, it's ... (becomes emotional) ... Having Nick around, it's great. He has matured as a coach. He's going to be a good head coach someday. Natalie, she knows what this program is all about. You don't have to tell her anything.

Linder: Compare Larry Niemeyer of 1961 with Larry Niemeyer of 2010.

Niemeyer: I think I've mellowed quite a bit. As a young coach, you really get into ego a lot. You care how people look at you. You're on the way up, so to speak. I coach because I enjoy coaching. I try to make every player the best player they can be. We have rules, but not that many. I've been accused of not teaching the fundamentals, not having enough team meetings. I do my coaching during practice.

Linder: What's the biggest challenge of coaching today?

Niemeyer: I think you're more under the microscope today whan we used to be. There are so many club activities. More people are involved in club activities. If you want your daughter to play, you can just become an assistant (club) coach.

Linder: How is your physical health?

Niemeyer: (Wishes not to speak on the record about it, but mentions that he is having back problems).

Linder:When will you know when it's time to step away?

Niemeyer: When nobody wants to hire me. You can't put an age on a lot of things. We have Supreme Court justices that go into their 80s. When I lose interest ... I don't want to go to practice, don't want to go to games, it's time to quit. Some people do that when they're 40.

Linder: What goals have you set for this team?

Niemeyer: I've done this long enough, there aren't any surprises any more. People don't realize how tough it is to get to state. You've got to be lucky. There are so many intangibles. My goal, I want them to play the best they can play, and whatever happens, happens.

Linder: What's wrong with the Cubs? (Niemeyer is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan)

Niemeyer: They have too many of the same type of player. They have too many .279 hitters. They can't run. They can't manufacture runs. They need some fire.

Linder: Which will happen first? Will Jefferson win another state softball title, or will the Cubs win the World Series?

Niemeyer: I don't know. I hope Jefferson wins another state championship. I can't see the Cubs winning the World Series in my lifetime.

Linder: Does criticism bother you?

Niemeyer: It bothers me when I don't deserve it. At times, I've deserved it, and I've made some changes because of it.

Linder: Do you love to win more? Or hate to lose more?

Niemeyer: I just love to win. I love to win no matter what I do. Winning is important. This school gets a lot of negative press. But this is a good school. Nancee and Noreen were valedictorians here, and I can't think of another school where you can get a better education than at Jefferson High School.

Linder: Who is the best athlete you've ever coached?

Niemeyer: Robin Threatt. I've probably coached more all-state athletes than anybody. But Robin was special. She was gifted. Great kid. Great kid.

Linder: What will be your legacy?

Niemeyer: Here? I have no idea. Probably as somebody who taught and coached for 31 years.

Linder: OK, then, at the state level and by your peers?

Niemeyer: I think that I'm a respected coach by my peers, in my profession. I think I've done it right. I haven't cheated. I've treated people with respect.