Rasmussen retires after 26 years as Valpo High Athletic Director

The plaques and framed certificates, emblematic of his 26 years as an athletic administrator, are cleared from the office at Valparaiso High School, leaving bare walls and partitions around the desk that was long occupied.

If it was up to Sam Rasmussen, he never would've hung them in the first place.

"I've worked hard to stay out of the limelight," he said.

The man behind the scenes of one of the state's top prep programs preferred it that way, gladly leaving the attention to his coaches and athletes.

"I'm kind of embarrassed with the accolades," Rasmussen said. "My wife (Chris) deserves them all. She's my heart, my soul, my love. She allowed me do to what I do. Accolades indicate I'm doing the right things, but when you love what you do, you don't need awards. You don't need recognition. That's not my style and it never really has been. It's about the students. It's never been about Sam Rasmussen."

After spending his last 57 years in a school setting, Rasmussen, 62, served his final day as athletic director Friday. He attended the boys golf regional that afternoon.

"I put in my retirement letter (last) June and in hindsight, I was right," he said. "I knew it was time to move on, time to change. I'm looking forward to it. It's bittersweet. There is some apprehension, but I have no regrets. I'm very content. I loved teaching and coaching here. It was my dream to be an athletic administrator. How many people can say they get that opportunity?"

That dream didn't evolve until after Rasmussen arrived at Valpo when its current campus opened in 1972. He was attending Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y., not far from his home of Seneca Falls (where Chris also grew up), studying to be a Lutheran minister. That's when Valparaiso University coach Gene Bartow heard about his basketball exploits and recruited him to play for the Crusaders, circumventing the protestations of Rasmussen's grandmother.

"She said no one gets paid to play basketball," he said.

Rasmussen wound up at VU, where he graduated with a degree in chemistry and biology. He spent a semester student-teaching at Chesterton before making the short move south. He taught and coached cross country and track at Valpo High before becoming A.D. in 1985.

"It's an absolutely fabulous profession," he said. "People see the finished product, the wins and losses, but not the effort, the work, the unity, the bonding, the friendships, all the great things that are involved. I'm still astounded by the people who don't understand what we do day in, day out. (Former Merrillville assistant athletic director) Tom Cameron had a great saying. People would say, 'I love your job.' He'd say, 'Which one? The day one or the night one?' What we do is insane. Duties just appeared. I won't miss the 13-hour days, six days a week."

What Rasmussen will miss is the daily dynamic.

"There's no better feeling than working with student-athletes," he said.

While his interaction with kids diminished once he moved into administration, Rasmussen continued to impact them by coaching the coaches.

"My job was to remove the hurdles and barriers so the coaches could do the best job they could do, motivate them to be better than they thought they could be, to do things they didn't they could do, which is what they're trying to do (with kids) as coaches," he said. "My philosophy was simple -- produce productive young citizens, period.

"It's not to find them scholarships or make them professional athletes. We can't lose sight of why we're here. It's an institution of higher education and interscholastic athletics is a great extension of the classroom."

Though Rasmussen has retired, he isn't leaving the business. He will continue working with the Indianapolis-based National Interscholastic Association of Athletic Administrators in accreditation and the Indiana Interscholastic Association of Athletic Administrators in certification.

"The only thing that's certain in life is change," he said. "Change isn't bad. It is good and necessary. You just have to be able to manage it. If you're not growing, you're going backwards."