July 20, 2009
(release courtesy of Kerry Kall, Cornell College sports information)

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . Cornell College men’s basketball coach Mike DeGeorge, who led the Rams to the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament, announced Monday his resignation after five seasons on the Hilltop.

DeGeorge accepted a position as a Reserve Field Manager for Farmers Insurance and will work in the Denver, Colo., area for the next two years. His new job is part of a training program to be a district manager where he will recruit, train and lead a group of 25-30 insurance agents in a district.

“This was not a decision I came to easily or was it a decision I had planned,” DeGeorge said. “Over the last several years, it was becoming clear that the long hours on nights and weekends and college coaching demands were going to make it even more challenging for me to be a good father and husband as my kids get older.

“Quite frankly, I am not ready to be done with coaching, but I want to create a permanent home for the kids before they reach middle school age. This will be difficult in the short term, but I believe it is best for me and my family in the long term.”

DeGeorge and his wife Christi have four children: son Max, 7, and daughters Maya, 6, Morgan, 4, and Madison, 1.

DeGeorge rebuilt a struggling Cornell program into a conference champion and national qualifier in his final season. The Rams claimed the Iowa Conference Tournament title – Cornell’s second conference team championship in any sport in 11 years as a member in the IIAC – and earned their first berth to the national tournament since 1994.

DeGeorge, the 2009 IIAC Coach of the Year, helped the 21-7 Rams establish a school record for wins in a season only three years after the program endured a 3-22 campaign. Cornell finished a school-best second place in the IIAC regular-season standings with a 12-4 mark.

The Rams’ historic season ended with a 61-53 loss to fourth-ranked UW-Stevens Point in the first round of the national tournament. Five of Cornell’s seven losses in 2008-09 came against nationally-ranked opponents.

“This past season has been the most rewarding of my coaching career,” said DeGeorge, who in 17 years held previous coaching positions at Marmion Academy (Ill.), Beloit (Wis.), Lawrence (Wis.), Grinnell and Eureka (Ill.). “I am so grateful for the effort, commitment and loyalty of this group and all of the teams I have coached. I will miss the relationships with the players the most.”

The Rams improved their win total in each of DeGeorge’s final three seasons. Last year’s squad achieved the program’s first winning season since 2002-03. DeGeorge compiled a 47-82 career record during his stay at Cornell.

Five members of DeGeorge’s 2008-09 team were their high school’s valedictorian or salutatorian.

“I have a very strong appreciation for everything Coach DeGeorge has done with our men’s basketball program the past five years,” Cornell Director of Athletics John Cochrane said. “Cornell College owes Coach DeGeorge a debt of gratitude for the way in which he went about building a successful program. He worked extremely hard to lay a foundation for success that we can build on for years to come.”

Cochrane said a national search for DeGeorge’s replacement will begin immediately.

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