NEW ULM — This past Friday, New Ulm lost an icon when Jim Senske died.

Senske, who was 88 years old, coached baseball at New Ulm High School for four decades and won 707 baseball games at the helm of the Eagles from 1964-2003 and won a state title in 2002 when New Ulm went 27-3.

People who were privileged to know Jim, as I was, knew that he was not only a great coach but also a great teacher and — more importantly — one outstanding gentleman.

Jim impacted hundreds of young people as both a teacher and coach and also impacted their futures in positive ways.

And his passing away was taken hard by former coaches and players.

“When I heard about Jim’s passing it hit me like a ton of bricks,” said Dave Curry, who was an assistant baseball coach to Senske for 21 years. “It is just a legend and one of the first things that came to my mind was Jim did not start baseball in New Ulm but he is baseball — he was, he is and he always will be — and that is a huge thing. He knew what he wanted to get accomplished.

“He was tough on the kids in baseball practice because he said he did not want to have the players see anything in a game that they have not seen in practice.”

And Jim was also a great teacher in the classroom.

“There were several times when I had to go into his classroom to ask about sometime and it was completely silent — he was not there but the students were completely silent. They had total respect for him. He just commanded respect from the kids.”

One of he many of his former players who he had a positive impact off of the baseball field was Jason Solberg, who played for the Eagles from 1985-88.

“I am struggling with his passing,” Solberg said from his home in McGregor, Iowa. “When I moved back to New Ulm he was like a father figure to me because I moved back from Georgia — my mom and dad had gotten a divorce — and he was always there for me.

“He impacted me not just in baseball but he kept reassuring me about good things with what I was going through. He was always there for me, he was a dad for me. He knew what a was going through. His sternness rubbed off of on me and made me a better person. His ability to relate to different people was amazing. He was so good at whatever he did and in my life.”

He said that his father, Don, passed away this past September.

“We went to go see Jim in September and we talked for a couple of hours — I can’t say enough about what he did for my life.”

Solberg, who was an Iowa State Trooper for 29 years and now works for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation after four years, will retire in June.

“But Jim had a huge influence on me — he knew the direction that I wanted to go when I was in high school. He was a huge influence on me. His legacy will last forever.”

Senske also coached the New Ulm American Legion baseball team and in 1978 guided New Ulm to a trip to the Legion World Series in Yakima, Washington.

“His passing is very sad,” said former major league player Terry Steinbach who was a member of that 1978 team. “He had a great meaning to a tremendous amount of people,” he said. “From that 1978 legion team and all through high school he meant a lot to us — he taught us a lot and there are a lot of us who would not be where we are not today both professionally and personally without him. All of us learned from Jim and we are all grateful for what he taught us.

“He had a persistence to perfection — there was a time where we went in for a hair cut and you came back and your hair was still touching the tips of your ears. He would ask us if we got a hair cut and we said we did — he would say go back and get another one. He was very knowledgeable about the game of baseball. And I do not know who enjoyed it more — Jim or the players – when we enjoyed the success.”

Steinbach said that the passing of Jim Senske is a huge loss but with some recent memories.

“Randall Stuckey organized something last year — we knew that Jim’s health was failing, but eight or 10 of us got together and played nine holes of golf with Jim and we went back to the clubhouse and we sat and reminiscent about the past and those times were memorable. To have that lasting memory of being able to spend that day with him. He was good and sharp and he wanted to stay with us all day. We spent two hours there.”

Steinbach echoed what everyone else has said about Senske’s legacy is.

“What New Ulm baseball was, is and will be — he was at least to me the forefather of the great history of New Um baseball. There was not a team in Minnesota that we could not compete with be it Metro or outstate. He lived the game of baseball in New Ulm.”

Jeff Schugel, who is a Special Assistant to the General Manager with the Cincinnati Reds, said that Senske was also a positive influence on him and his profession.

“He was intense and driven — he wanted the best of everyone,” said Schugel who was also a member of the 1978 New Ulm Legion World Series team.

It has been 22 years since Jim Senske stood in the coaching box at third base for the Eagles and 47 years since he guided New Ulm to an American Legion World Series. But New Ulm baseball and Senske are forever tied together by his legacy.

When Jim Senske put on a New Ulm uniform, he did it with pride.

Honoring and remembering that legacy would be the best way to honor him.

Senske’s funeral 11 a.m. Friday at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday at the Minnesota Valley Funeral Home-South Chapel in New Ulm and continue one hour prior to the service at the church.