MUNCIE, Ind. — Every golfer on the Ball State men’s golf team has something new in common on their golf bag. It is a pin, just above their names, that pays homage to a former Ball State golf coach, Earl Yestingsmeier.
Yestigsmeier passed away in 2014 and coached the Cardinals for 36 seasons.
“He was one of the most respected golf coaches in the country and the legacy he created is uniquely different in the world of college golf,” said Yestingmeier's successor, and current men’s golf coach, Mike Fleck.
Yestingsmeier led his Cardinals to 107 tournament titles as well as 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, but his legacy would go beyond just the wins and losses.
“He's the patriarch of men's golf, and the legacy that he created is incredible,” he said. “He’s in every golf hall of fame you could imagine.”
The decision to honor Yestinsmeier came after a Ball State golf alumni tournament. The pins were originally meant to be given to the winning team of the tournament, but Fleck proposed an additional use for the pins.
“I kind of introduced the concept of, hey, what about if we order enough pins so we can honor that same person with our current team, and we can put that pin on a golf bag,” Fleck said.
Current players of the team were explained the significance of the pin at the beginning of the season and got the opportunity to tell the story of the former coach to others they met on the course.
“He's the reason we have this building. He's the reason we have everything in our golf bag and the golf bags,” senior golfer Carter Smith said. “Everywhere you look around, you see the name Earl Yestingsmeier… Even our golf building is named after him.”
Despite not being able to know Yestingsmeier, Smith and other players are still able to experience the culture he created for the program.
“It’s been great getting to let our program represent Coach Earl…There's still things today that were really important to him and are still part of our program, which is really cool,” Smith said.
The Cardinals will play out the remainder of their season bearing the pin of the late Earl Yestingsmeier. This is just one of the many ways that Earl Yestingsmeier is honored at Ball State University.
Contact Stephen Grata with comments at stephen.grata@bsu.edu.
