History of NIACC athletics series, Part 1

This is the first in a four-part series about the history of NIACC athletics. Stories about the school’s rich, athletic tradition will also be published in January, February and March leading up to a March 23 event on campus where NIACC will celebrate 100 years of NIACC/MCJC athletics.

By KIRK HARDCASTLE

NIACC Sports Information Director

The dynamic duo of Terry McKissick and Dennis Shaffer will forever be linked together in the history of NIACC men’s basketball, the school’s longest running sport.

Men’s basketball has been played at Mason City Junior College and NIACC for a total of 97 seasons.

And McKissick and Shaffer are two of the best to ever play the game of basketball at the school.

“Dennis and I had epic one-on-one battles, which led to each of us becoming better basketball players,” McKissick said. “Dennis and I had a tremendous on and off-court relationship and his family was very good to me.”

McKissick and Shaffer helped guide the Trojans to a record of 44-12 in the 1971-72 and 1972-73 seasons. Both were selected to NJCAA all-American teams in their sophomore seasons.

McKissick is NIACC’s all-time leading scorer with 1,486 points. Shaffer is only 18 points behind with 1,468 points. McKissick is also the school’s all-time leading rebounder with 804.

They both were inducted into NIACC’s initial hall of fame class in 2006.

The 1971-72 team was the first NIACC team in school history to win 20 games as the Trojans compiled a record of 22-5.

The Trojans placed second in the Iowa Juco Conference in the regular season, won the sub-regional tournament with a win over Iowa Central before being eliminated in the regional tournament by eventual champion Southeastern.

“The success I achieved has to go to the many teammates I had over the two years at NIACC,” McKissick said. “They were supportive and team oriented. I do not recall any team problems of any kind.”

The Trojans scored buckets in bunches as they reached the 100-point plateau in 18 of their 27 games, including 137 points in a 137-71 win over rival Waldorf, a single-game record that still stands today.

McKissick not only has fond athletic memories of his two years spent on the NIACC campus. The Milwaukee, Wis. native said he loved everything about NIACC.

“Mason City was truly amazing,” McKissick said. “The people were kind, generous, respectful and warm. As a young, 17-year old venturing away from home seeking an education and basketball career, the people of Mason City made me feel safe, secure and comfortable.

“My transition to NIACC was very smooth. “I had the luxury of concentrating on academics and hoops.”

And the school’s all-time leading scorer also has great memories of his hall of fame coach – Herb Konigsmark.

“Coach Konigsmark was a great coach and even better person,” McKissick recalled. “He promised my mom and dad that he would take care of me and he sure did on and off the court.

“His wife and children were very supportive and treated me like family. The love and home cooked meals were greatly appreciated.”

McKissick used the words “fiery” and “no non-sense” when talking about Konigsmark, who coached the Trojans from 1967-93 and compiled a record of 447-286.

“He held his players accountable on and off the court,” McKissick said. “He was fair and demanding and well loved and respected by his players.

“His enthusiasm on the sidelines always kept me engaged and fired up. Coach always had us prepared for games and that attributed to our great team success. Coach Konigsmark, Duane Brandt and Art Lundblad made a great team while building a highly successful basketball program.”

IN THE BEGINNING

Athletics started at Mason City Junior College with a men’s basketball team in the 1919-20 school year.

A team from the school played in the City League that school year with no coach and what would become a rich tradition for athletics at the school was created.

“George Wolf, the captain, was our leader in scoring,” the 1920 Masonian – the yearbook for Mason City High School and Mason City Junior College stated, “as clever footwork and snappy passes on his part time and time again foiled the opposing guard.”

The first coach at MCJC was Avril “Judge” Grimsley, who started coaching the school’s football team in 1923 and started as the men’s basketball coach in the 1923-24 season.

Because of World War II, no men’s basketball teams were formed at the school in the 1943-44 and 1944-45 seasons, but the sport picked back up in the 1945-46 season.

Trojans Forever

When: 7 p.m., March 23, 2019

Where: NIACC Auditorium

What: Join NIACC as it takes a walk back in time, celebrating some of the most memorable NIACC/MCJC teams, events and athletes of the past 100 years.

For more information, contact NIACC athletic director Dan Mason at dan.mason@niacc.edu or 641-422-4281.

NIACC 100

Each month leading up to the March 23, 2019 Trojans Forever event, we will reveal, in chronological order, 25 members of the NIACC 100, who are 100 athletes from MCJC and NIACC who have had a significant impact in the athletic arena.

THE FIRST 25

Mason City Junior College