Mike Mayerske
American football player and coach (1942–2022)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Richard Mayerske (September 24, 1942 – October 28, 2022)[1] was an American football coach. He was the 11th head football coach at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, serving as interim head coach in 1984, and compiling a record of 5–4.[2][3]
Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1942 Uniontown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 28, 2022 (aged 80) |
| Playing career | |
| 1961–1962 | Coffeyville |
| 1963–1964 | Pittsburg State |
| Position | Running back |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1966–1969 | St. Joseph HS (IN) (assistant) |
| 1970–1971 | Marian HS (IN) |
| 1972–1976 | Concord HS (IN) |
| 1977–1981 | Columbus HS (KS) |
| 1983 | Pittsburg State (assistant) |
| 1984 | Pittsburg State (interim HC) |
| 1985 | Pittsburg State (DB) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 5–4 (college) |
Early years
A native of Pennsylvania, Mayerske played high school football for Redstone High School from 1957 to 1960. After graduating, he received a scholarship in track and football from Coffeyville Junior College in Kansas.[4] In September 1962, Mayerske ranked fifth in the nation for junior colleges in rushing.[5] He transferred to Kansas State University of Pittsburg in 1963, and was an all-conference running back with the team.[3]
Coaching career
After graduating, Mayerske accepted a coaching position at St. Joseph High School as track coach and assistant football coach.[4] He left for Marian High School in 1970, and was named head football coach at Concord High School in 1972.[6] When he joined Concord, the school was in a 23-game losing streak. He coached them for five years, and led them to a winning record in each season.[7] At Concord, he was also assistant dean of students, a physical education teacher, track coach, and supervisor of the intramural program.[8]
He was named head coach at Columbus High School in 1977.[7] He remained with the team for five years, before being fired in 1981 after a locker room incident in which he reportedly injured a student.[9] In 1983, after being out of coaching for a year, he was hired by his alma mater, Pittsburg State University, as an assistant coach.[3] He was named offensive coordinator in January 1984, but was promoted to head coach after they did not renew the contract of Bruce Polen.[3][10] He returned to the team in 1985 as defensive secondary coach after compiling a 5–4 record as head coach, and retired the following year.[11]
Family and later years
Mayerske married Kaylene Gay Banzet in August 1963 at Coffeyville, Kansas.[12]
Death
Mayerske died on October 28, 2022 at the age of 80.[13]
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburg State Gorillas (Central States Intercollegiate Conference) (1984) | |||||||||
| 1984 | Pittsburg State | 5–4 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| Pittsburg State: | 5–4 | 4–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 5–4 | ||||||||
