New Initiatives for SHG This Fall… - Sacred Heart-Griffin High School

4 Visions, Winter 2007
Helen Dulle Retires as Volleyball Coach
After 34 Years and 921 Wins
A total of 921 wins (the most in state volleyball history)…
just 255 losses… 34 years dedicated… at least 56 college
athletes… and, most importantly, over 200 lives touched.
Although the common thread in those more than 200 lives
touched was just a game, it is clear that lessons learned under
one coach’s guidance have and will continue to influence these
lives well into the future.
A familiar sight, as Helen Dulle has spent the past 34 years
coaching volleyball at SHA and SHG.
A pioneer for girls’ athletics, Helen Dulle started the volleyball
program at then Sacred Heart Academy, now Sacred Heart-
Griffin High School, in 1973 and has been a driving force in
the advancement of girls and women in sports ever since. The
200-plus mentioned above all have one thing in common. They
were Blazer volleyball players for Helen Dulle. Some went on
to play collegiate volleyball; some may have even played other
sports (but don’t tell Helen). Some are still students or student
athletes and in that number there are mothers, daughters, grandmothers,
writers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants and
even a golf pro, just to name a few.
Lessons learned on the volleyball court under Helen Dulle’s
guidance have translated into many successes off the court as
well. Her drive and dedication served as an example to all who
called her coach. Her players learned to win, to lose with
grace and not to lose too much, to compete, to work hard to
achieve goals where the faith-filled environment of Sacred Heart
was the setting.
Many articles have been written about the many wins and
the very few losses. This is not one of those. This is a thank you
from us to you for your dedication and commitment to us over
your long and distinguished career. We would be remiss not to
also thank your “sidekick,” Herb, who has been there from the
beginning, tirelessly keeping a record of this volleyball and life
success story. Godspeed, Helen Dulle, and we wish you many
blessings in your well-earned retirement.
— Betsy (Wisnosky) Urbance ’80 and
Debbie (Urbanckas) Jemison ’81
Editor’s Note: Helen Dulle will continue to serve as
SHG’s Women’s Athletic Director in the coming years.
Surrounded by another winning team, Helen Dulle holds the
latest championship trophy. She has coached more than 200
girls in the school’s volleyball program.
2006 Football Cyclones By The Numbers
1 Where Sacred Heart-Griffin was rated in the Associated Press Class 5A poll when the season began.
2 Number of consecutive Class 5A state titles the Cyclones have won. (Also the number of times a high school team
from Springfield has won back-to-back state titles. The 1978 and 1979 Griffin golf teams also won consecutive state
titles.)
6 The number of times both Woodstock and SHG have played in the state championship game. (Marian Central has
won four state titles and SHG has won two.)
28 The number of games Sacred Heart-Griffin has won in a row.
65 Game-time temperature on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
67.6 Percent of passes Bobby Brenneisen completed as a senior, 198 of 293.
102 Total number of points SHG gave up this season. (The average score of an SHG game was 39-7.)
200 The Cyclones’ rushing yardage Saturday afternoon. They wound up with 474 total yards offense.
215 Ken Leonard’s victory total in 23 seasons at SHG. No football coach in city history is close to that total.
— Reprinted with permission from Jim Ruppert of The State Journal-Register