COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Elmer Kohorst had already built an impressive baseball resume by the time he took over as head coach at Saint John's University for a second time toward the end of the 1971 season.

The 1953 Albany High School graduate left Central Minnesota to play at Notre Dame where the standout catcher became the first All-American in program history (in both 1956 and '57) and captained the Irish to their first berth in the College World Series (1957).

He then spent several seasons in the Brooklyn Dodgers organization before coming to Saint John's Prep where he coached and taught successfully from 1959-71. He was loaned to SJU and served as head baseball coach from 1965-67, then he returned as a full-time employee when Fr. Dunstan Tucker stepped down with just a few games remaining in the spring of 1971.

"He was more than just a great coach, he was a great man," recalls standout third baseman Steve Ward, an Anoka High School graduate who arrived in Collegeville in the fall of 1971. "There are two people in my life whom I consider father figures – my own dad and Elmer, who always treated me like a son.

"He taught us how to play the game the right way. He wasn't afraid to get on your case if you needed it, especially if you were making mental errors. But he did it in a nice way. He never criticized or chastised you. He was a great coach, a great person and he brought us all together as a team."

"He was a local hero," added Jerry Haugen, who boasted a .344 batting average that season and is himself now in his 47th season as SJU's head coach. "He was a guy from Albany who went on to a great career at Notre Dame. And he was a great manager. There's no doubt about that. He let us play."

And, after two seasons of gelling, that cohesiveness paid off in a big way during the 1974 season. The Johnnies finished 15-7 and 14-2 in MIAC play en route to winning their first conference title since 1969 and advancing to the NAIA playoffs for the first time in program history.

Ward batted .360 that spring, earning a spot on the All-MIAC team alongside outfielder Donald Geng and standout pitchers Chuck Viskocil (who finished the season 7-1 on the mound and 5-0 in conference play) and Lee Harren (who also ended with a 5-0 conference mark).

"We had very good pitching on that team," Ward recalls. "Chuck came to Saint John's from Richfield High School. He later ended up transferring to the University of Minnesota to pitch for them, then played pro ball in the Texas Rangers' system. Lee Harren had come back after serving in Vietnam. 

"He was a leftie. Chuck was a righty. And we rode those guys."

SJU swept St. Olaf in a doubleheader in Collegeville on April 17 to improve to 6-0 in MIAC play. Harren struck out 11 and allowed just four hits in a 4-2 victory in game one, then Viskocil struck out six and allowed four hits in a 3-2 win in game two.

"Lee had another fine game," Kohorst told the St. Cloud Times afterward. "He's been throwing the ball well this spring. In his last two games, he hasn't given up an earned run."

Kohorst's team improved to 9-0 in conference play before losing the second game of a doubleheader against Minnesota-Duluth. After that, the Johnnies would lose just once more in the regular season – a 4-2 setback to St. Mary's – en route to the conference crown.

That set up a showdown with Northern Intercollegiate Conference champion Southwest (Minnesota) State in the best-of-three NAIA District 13 championship series on May 16 in Collegeville. SJU won 2-1 in nine innings in the first game, then fell 1-0 in both game two and three. 

"We had some bad weather and things got backed up," Haugen recalls. "So we ended up playing three games in one day which wasn't great."

The Mustangs scored the winning run in the seventh inning in each of the final two matchups.

"We hadn't played since May 4, and I think that hurt us," Kohorst told the St. Cloud Times. "Southwest played three games on Sunday (May 13) and I think they may have been a little sharper today than we were. We had a pretty good winning streak going, but when you don't play for 12 days, you can't help but be adversely affected. Our hitting was off, but I was amazed our pitching was as sharp as it was.

"The team played with enthusiasm, and they gave it everything. We'll savor this season for a while. It was a good year for us."

Kohorst – who died at age 87 in December of 2020 – stepped down as head coach the following offseason and focused on his career in the insurance business, which continued until his retirement in 2010.

But his players still recall the impact he had on them, and the talent the 1974 team possessed.

"Those were fun guys to be around," Ward said. "We put a really good team on the field that year. It was a fun time to be part of the baseball program at Saint John's."

30 years ago (1994)
Peter Crouser won 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1 singles as the SJU tennis team defeated Concordia 8-1 on April 16 to finish play at the Bodic VIII tournament in Collegeville with a 3-0 record. The Johnnies improved to 7-0 in MIAC play and 14-4 overall with the victory.

60 years ago (1964)
Defending MIAC champion John McDowell won both weight events and the SJU track team placed first in all but one field event in competition at Hamline on April 15.