Cheering on one of our own

Aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws in Southwest Nebraska are beaming with pride after hearing about the good fortune of Dirk Koetter, the head football coach at Arizona State University.

After leading the Sun Devils to two straight winning seasons, Dirk has been rewarded with a guaranteed annual salary of $950,000, plus incentives which could boost his total compensation to more than $1.5 million per year.

Dirk is the son of Jim and Barbara Koetter, both of whom grew up in the McCook area. Jim's parents, both deceased, were Art and Mary Koetter. Barbara's parents, who have also passed on, were Howard and Fern Stinette.

After attending McCook Junior College, Jim went to Idaho State in Pocatello. He and Barbara stayed in Idaho after graduating from college, with Jim embarking on a career as a high school and college coach.

Dirk followed his father into the coaching field, achieving success at Idaho State before moving on to Arizona State five years ago.

Five of Dirk's aunts and uncles still live in the McCook area. Rose Doyle and Veldron Harmon are the aunts and Arthur, Richard and Bernard Koetter are the uncles.

It's a wonder that Jim and later Dirk even went into football coaching. "We were farmers, so Jim had to come home after school to do chores when he was in high school. It wasn't until he went to junior college that his football talents blossomed," Rose said.

The family is delighted with Dirk's success. "Besides the aunts and uncles, Dirk also has a number of cousins and in-laws in the McCook area," Rose said. And, the good news is Dirk is only 47, which could mean he has many more million-dollar years ahead of him in the coaching field.

No Snow in Mexico

Please excuse me for not having a column in last week's newspaper. Barbara and I were returning from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where we traveled for a vacation to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.

We had a wonderful time, but thought of you often while we were gone. We couldn't avoid it, as the headline story on television news programs in Cabo was the depth of the snow which blanketed a major portion of Mid-America.

By the time we returned to McCook last Monday, most of the snow was gone. I guess that means, at long last, that Barbara and I have qualified to be called "snowbirds."