Longtime Newman coach, athletic director Nyhus dies

CLEAR LAKE — Former Newman Catholic baseball coach and athletic director Gary Nyhus lost his battle with cancer on Sunday.

Nyhus taught math and Newman for 38 years and accumulated a 628-165 record while at Newman and CLear Lake between 1972 and 1998. He led the Knights to 20 consecutive conference titles as well as four state tournament appearances in 1979, 1987, 1995 and 1998, with his 1998 squad winning the Class 1A title.

He coached two Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series, was a District Coach of the Year ten times and was named the Iowa Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1998. He was inducted into the IHSBCA Hall of Fame in 1997 and into the National High School Coaches Association National Hall of Fame in 2000.

For years Nyhus and his wife Sandy were part of a 12-person team that arranged every phase of the Iowa HIgh School Baseball Coaches Association annual baseball clinic as well as the organization’s All-Star Series.

The IHSBCA announced Nyhus’ death on Sunday night, saying that he had passed away on Sunday morning after a long, courageous battle with cancer.