Denison-Schleswig baseball coach Don Lyons reached a milestone earlier this week. Lyons earned his 500th career victory when the second rated Monarchs beat Shenandoah in the second game of a doubleheader. Fewer than 50 coaches in Iowa have ever reached the 500-career-victory milestone. Lyons is not focusing on those stats
"It’s not about numbers. It’s about kids," Lyons says. "I’ve had a lot of great kids do a lot of great things and that’s what the focus is always on…watching them grow and mature and become better baseball players."
Through all the years, Lyons says he has never lost his enthusiasm for the game or coaching. "You’ve got to have a love for the game," Lyons says. "…It’s a game that is truly a team game…It builds character…but the key to success is hard work and I’m awful proud of what our kids have accomplished."
Lyons enjoys trying to help kids reach their potential. "We truly try to explain to them that they are gifted and that they need to use their abilities to the best that they can," Lyons says. "…My job is just simply to try to bring out the best in them."
Lyons led the Denison-Schleswig boys baseball team to a state championship in 1994. Now, he’s accepting a new challenge. After leading a successful girl’s basketball program at the school for 20 seasons, Lyons is taking over the boys’ basketball program.