By Don Lowe
When Northeastern Oklahoma (NEO) A&M retired softball head coach Eric Iverson and current athletics director and wrestling head coach Joe Renfro learned they would both be honored at the inaugural National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Legacy Awards Luncheon, each of these men were quick to credit others for them receiving this recognition.
Now, four years since calling it a career after three decades in athletics, Coach Iverson quickly deflected attention from himself, while saying, “My first and foremost reaction was what a great honor for our former players and coaches. Head coaches’ names are always attached to these types of awards but it belongs to everyone who has been involved in the success.”
Understandably, perhaps, Coach Renfro remains more focused on the current state of his wrestling program these days than past successes, and he says, “My initial reaction was ‘move forward and carry on, I don’t have time to look back.’ We have a lot of preparation to do before next season and there are only so many hours in a day.
“Then you realize that this award is not just about Joe Renfro, it’s about the coaches and student-athletes that have helped you achieve this accolade. So, you slow down to process the information, the hard work and the dedication others have put into the program and you realize you should show the proper appreciation for their efforts.”
It’s not all the accomplishments, the records and the statistics that made this journey so enjoyable for Coach Iverson. He says, “The most rewarding element of my coaching career is the relationships that have been established and the opportunity to support our players in their pursuit of life happiness.”
When Coach Renfro reflects on what has made this job so rewarding for him, he says, “It’s the opportunity to work with young student-athletes and having the goal of helping them to become better people and contributors to society.
“We often get wrapped up in wins and losses and forget the big picture of life. Did we make a difference in helping the world? Are we making an impact in the right way? I don’t know if I’ve achieved these things or not, but it’s most rewarding for me to know I’ve tried my best to do just that.”
Thinking about what made all the amazing achievements possible, Coach Iverson says, “The key to our success was simply hard work and the commitment to being successful.
“We also recruited players that had more than talent to offer to the program. Fit was also vital so we could push them to one simple standard: Be the best you can be every day.”
Coach Renfro recognizes it has never been all about himself and says, “I don’t necessarily think that success is achieved solely because of personal effort, although that might be a big part of it.
“But it’s more so because of the people you surround yourself with every day. Like I mentioned before, I’ve been fortunate to have been surrounded by a lot of great people and apparently that has rubbed off on me.”
Both of these head coaches had numerous individuals who influenced them greatly along their pathways to this point. Coach Iverson says, “My mom taught me work ethic. She had to overcome obstacles to raise me and my two brothers on her own.
“My family (wife and two daughters) allowed me to do what had to be done and sacrificed time with me to build what we built at NEO. Two coaches influenced me. In high school, it was legendary Coach Gordon Morgan and in junior college, it was Coach Bill Mayberry. Both men guided and mentored me well beyond the years I played for them.”
It was more difficult for Coach Renfro to single out just a few people, and he says, “There are so many people that have influenced me and personally naming some of them would be an injustice to the ones that might be accidentally left off the list that are just as important.
“I would need to give the broad answer of family, friends, personal coaches, assistant coaches and the student-athletes who have all given me the opportunity to assist them in their personal endeavors.”
Both men are firm in their convictions that this recognition isn’t just about them. Coach Iverson says, “I always preached to deflect attention and give it to those around you.
“I may have been the leader, but like I mentioned earlier, it was more about the people in our program. This award is a credit to them and to a college that has a strong commitment to excellence in athletics. NEO provided us a culture to be successful.”
Coach Renfro says what makes him most proud about this honor is that “it’s the opportunity to give appreciation to all those people who have made an impact in this accomplishment. Only one person can receive the award but the entire group is responsible. It’s a total team effort.”
Coach Iverson doesn’t have time to dwell on any personal satisfaction from such a long and illustrious career, and he says, “I retired from coaching in 2021. After 30 years in our athletics department, it was time to bring new energy to the program.
“My family and grandsons are where I wanted my focus to turn. My kids had to sacrifice a lot of time together when I was coaching. My grandsons were not going to have to do that.”
Unlike Coach Iverson, retirement isn’t in Coach Renfro’s vocabulary just yet, and he says, “Life is one long wrestling match. Just because you get scored on doesn’t mean the match is over.
“Some periods you might need to overcome big deficits, and some periods aren’t as challenging. Regardless, the match isn’t over until the clock expires.”
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Legacy Awards Winners Fast Facts
National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Legacy Awards Honorees Luncheon: Scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, at 11 a.m. at the Hilton Charlotte University Place Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Coach Iverson/Number Crunching: Retired softball head coach Eric Iverson led the Lady Norse softball team to an overall record of 1,116-279 in his 26 years at the helm. He became the first coach in Oklahoma junior college history to reach 1,000 career victories and ranks sixth all-time in career victories. During his tenure, Coach Iverson mentored 33 National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Region II All-Americans and 98 NJCAA Region II 1st Team Selections.
Coach Renfro/By the Numbers: Current athletics director and wrestling head coach Joe Renfro has led the Norsemen to an overall record of 254-50-3 over his 23-year career. He has coached 142 All-Americans, with 39 wrestlers reaching the national finals and 22 earning individual national championships. Coach Renfro, a seven-time NJCAA National Coach of the Year honoree, was recently named to the NJCAA Hall of Fame (2024).