St. Cloud's status is part of Brooks' legacy
ST. CLOUD, MINN. • Fans of Division I college hockey owe Herb Brooks a big thanks.
The coach of the 1980 ‘Miracle on Ice’ U.S. Olympic hockey team played a big role leading then-NCAA Division III St. Cloud State into the Division I ranks.
After coaching in the NHL, Brooks took SCSU’s top job for the 1986-87 season in hopes his celebrity would raise the money needed for the Minnesota college to move up.
It worked and the team played well under his leadership. The Huskies (25-10-1) beat Bemidji State, a WCHA member starting in 2010-11, for third place in the nation.
Assistant Craig Dahl took over the program, now a D-I independent in 1987-88, and Brooks worked behind the scenes to garner government approval for the current National Hockey Center (5,371 capacity) to replace a 1,600-seat rink.
St. Cloud State joined the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 1990. The winning program garnered its first No. 1 ranking during 2001-02.
Brooks’ influence is clear, whether it’s his portrait along the arena concourse, or on the ice. Dahl was replaced in 2005 by Bob Motzko, a student assistant under Brooks and Dahl for that pivotal season.
“The opportunity provided by SCSU back in 1986 is the reason I’m a college hockey coach today,” said Motzko, the 2007 and 2006 WCHA coach of the year.
