In Memory
Jack Neil Steck
July 10, 1941 - January 28, 2022
Coach Jack Neil Steck of Springfield, MO, passed away peacefully on January 28, 2022, at the age of 80. He was born July 10, 1941, to Charles Steck and Vera Reid Steck in South Bend, IN. He graduated from Riley High School in 1959 and attended Indiana State University on a swimming scholarship. He graduated from Indiana State University the summer of 1964. While there, he met the love of his life and his wife-to-be, Sandra “Sandi” Ann Greenwell. They were married February 1, 1964, and moved to Springfield, MO.
It was here that the “real story” of Coach Steck’s swimming legacy began. Jack started his coaching path when he became the coach for the age group AAU Springfield Swim Club, which had connections to then Drury College (Drury University). It was this connection that allowed Jack to be hired as the first Drury swim coach in 1966 as a 25-year-old. He started the program that would become the national powerhouse it is today. In less than ten short years the team that began as a club at a small college in Springfield was competing for national titles. In 1981, under Coach Steck’s guidance, Drury won its first national championship and defended the title by winning their second NAIA National Championship again in 1982.
In 1983, Jack left Drury to take over the swimming program at the cross-town rival Southwest Missouri State University (Missouri State University) where he continued his winning tradition. Under Coach Steck, MSU became a perennial Mid-Major University force in NCAA swimming. In 1998, under Coach Steck’s guidance, the women’s program was started at MSU. It too became a winning program with several conference championships. Coach Steck made the swimming teams at MSU one of the most successful sports programs in school history bringing home 20 conference championships between the two teams.
All in all, Jack coached a combined 47 years. He promoted the “team” mentality in what is basically an individual sport. His meet record was a remarkable 486-219-1 between his time at Drury and MSU. Because of his success, Coach Steck was honored with enshrinements into five different Sports Hall of Fames (Drury, MSU, Springfield Area, Missouri, and NAIA Swimming). Jack was an advocate for all swimmers in the area-from age group clubs to high school teams. Several of Jack’s athletes have carried the torch and have become coaches across the United States, including his two protégés, Coach Brian Reynolds (Drury) and Coach Dave Collins (MSU). Truly, no one man has had a bigger impact on the sport of swimming in this region than Coach Steck.
Jack’s secret love that rivaled his love for the sport of swimming was baseball. Jack was a lifelong Yankees fan. He umpired both high school and college baseball for over 50 years. He became as well known in the baseball circles as he was in the swimming circles. It was only at the constant nagging of his family that he reluctantly hung up the mask and shin guards at the age of 76. He enjoyed traveling but had favorite destinations. He would make annual trips to the Bahamas and Michigan for close to 40 years. There was no doubt about it – Jack was a “dog person” and he never met one he didn’t like. Jack was particularly good at storytelling and making people laugh. It was as much a part of his person as his blue-grey eyes and there was always a lesson to be learned from the stories he weaved. Jack had many loves, but the greatest of all was the one he called “Love”-Sandi.
Coach Steck is survived by his wife Sandi, son Scott Steck and wife Missy (Nixa, MO), son Brad Steck and Merilee Hulgan (San Diego, CA), nephew Doug Fites (Elkhart, IN), niece Pam Fites Bonter (Pellston, MI) and three granddaughters, Grace Steck (Scott and Melissa) and Sophie and Stella Steck (Brad Steck and Heidi Beyer). He is reunited with his parents Charles and Vera Steck, his sister Patricia Fites, his nephew David Fites and niece Peggy Fites Vorce.
A celebration of Jack’s life will be held on 2/12/2022 at 1:00pm at Green Lawn East (3450 E Seminole, Springfield, MO). Please feel free to wear active gear that represented how you knew Coach.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation in Memory of Coach Steck to the swimming programs at Drury and MSU, which were such a big part of who Jack was. Please designate the donations to the swimming programs.
Panthers Gift (drury.edu)
MarooNation Online Community - Make a Gift to Missouri State University – Your Gift (imodules.com)
“Don’t Weaken” ~ Jack Steck
Posted online on February 08, 2022
Published in South Bend Tribune
The following by Dan D'Addona — Swimming World Managing Editor
28 January 2022, 11:44am
Missouri State University Athletics is mourning the loss of long-time swimming and diving head coach Jack Steck who passed away on Friday, Jan. 28, at the age of 80.
Steck coached both the Missouri State men’s and women’s programs, guiding the men for 29 seasons from 1983 to his retirement in 2012. He started the women’s program in 1998 and was the program’s only head coach in the program’s first 14 years of existence. He is one of just four people in Missouri State athletics history to coach men’s and women’s teams in one sport at the same time.
His men captured 11 conference titles, winning the Mid-Continent Conference in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990, the Missouri Valley in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, and the Sun Belt in 2008. In years when the Bears had no conference affiliation, Steck won one Midwest Regional meet and one National Independent crown. He also oversaw the program’s transition to the MAC in 2010, guiding them to a third-place finish in the team’s inaugural season in that league. Overall, his men’s teams accounted for 62 individual conference champions during his tenure, while Steck earned conference coach of the year distinction honors on the men’s side eight times.
The MSU women won eight conference titles under Steck, with Missouri Valley crowns in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011. He coached 73 conference champions on the women’s side and earned MVC Coach of the Year distinction seven times.
Steck came to Missouri State in 1983 after 15 seasons as head coach at Drury University where the Panthers were nationally-ranked 14 consecutive seasons under Steck with back-to-back NAIA national titles in 1981 and 1982. He was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1982.
He had dual meet records of 252-89-1 with the MSU men, 100-80 for the MSU women, and 134-50 at Drury for a final career mark of 486-219-1 (.689).
A native of South Bend, Ind., and a 1964 graduate of Indiana State University, Steck received the 1981 ISU Distinguished Alumni Athletic Award and earned the designation Master Coach from the Swimming Coaches Association of America.
In 1993, Steck became the seventh coach inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame for swimming and diving. He was also inducted into the Drury Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997, the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.
He is survived by his wife Sandi and their sons, Scott and Brad, and their families. Details on services for Coach Steck are expected to be finalized in the coming days.
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Remembering Coach Jack Steck
Missouri State Director of Athletics, Kyle Moats
“It saddens me to learn of the passing of Coach Steck. He was a very successful coach both at Drury and Missouri State. He also was long-time baseball umpire in the Springfield community. He was always upbeat and supportive, not just about swimming issues, but for the university as a whole. He loved being a coach and interacting with young people. He was very proud of his student-athletes and always very supportive of their endeavors. His teams were very disciplined in and out of the pool. He had a very welcoming personality that made you feel accepted and needed. He was proud to be a Bear, and our athletics department is better because of him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sandi and his family.”
Missouri State Swimming & Diving Head Coach, Dave Collins
“It’s amazing when you think about the impact Coach Steck has had on thousands of people.
As a coach, he believed in people often times before they believed in themselves. He established confidence in you whether you were ready for it or not. He was a wonderful leader, mentor and friend that cared deeply for those that were fortunate to have him in their lives.
I will forever be grateful for the many lessons I have learned from him and will cherish our relationship deeply.”
Former MSU Director of Athletics, Bill Rowe
“When we brought Jack here from Drury, he was a great hire. He demanded a lot from his swimmers, but he got great results. He was very well regarded by his student-athletes and always stayed in touch with them, even after they graduated and moved on. I can’t say enough about what he meant to Missouri State University and the swimming programs. Today is a sad day, but we’re all grateful for the life of Jack Steck.”
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Missouri State Athletics. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com.
01.30.2022 djb
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