After Thirty-Two Years Dave Battaglia Retires from Coaching

Wes Vork-NSO

May 18

Dwight Cadwell-NSO

It has been a long and successful coaching career for Dave Battaglia, also the current principal at Carlton High School. Battaglia announced Sunday night at the Carlton High School athletic banquet that he was retiring from coaching. Battaglia was the head football and girls basketball coach this year at Carlton.

“I have been teaching for thirty-three years and coaching thirty-two of them. The time was right for me to step down.” Battaglia told Northland Sports Online. “I will be going into my thirty-fourth year of teaching next year and I am hoping to work part time, if it all can be worked out.” Battaglia added.

In his thirty-two years of coaching he has had many fond memories over the years as he said, “To mention one that stood out more than another would be unfair, as there we so many great moments…It was always enjoyable coaching kids.
It was more than wins and losses, it was about the influence you made on their lives.”

Battaglia has coached basketball, football, baseball and track over his illustrious coaching career. He has coached some teams with great success and he coached teams that, with his hard work and dedication, played above and beyond the talent level of the team.

Battaglia did agree that coaching his children was something he would never forget, and the success those teams had will be a fond memory, as well. His children (Steve, Tim, and Samantha) would all go on to follow in their dad’s footsteps. All three children are all either head or assistant coaches in one or more sports.

Battaglia told NSO, “I enjoyed the game much more than practice. I really liked matching wits against another coach,” he said. “Wondering what he or she would do next versus what I would do was exciting.” More often than not, Battaglia would win the battle of wits, compiling a very consistent and successful coaching career.

Battaglia added, “I will still be at the games watching, that’s for sure…I may help Steve and Tim in Cloquet from time to time, as well.” Battaglia added that he is looking forward to chasing his grandchild around a bit more and is looking forward to another grandchild, which is due this summer. Northland Sports Online would like to wish Dave well in his future endeavors and thank him for all of the hard work and dedication that he put into shaping young minds during his coaching career.

Scott Battaglia will take over the reins of the football program with Lisa Johnson nominated as the girls basketball head coach.

Dwight Cadwell can be reached at dwight@northlandsportsonline.com