In just 12 years, John Wooden masterminded 10 national championships for the UCLA Bruins. Pete Carroll guided the USC football program to five Bowl Championship Series victories in just seven seasons. As amazing as those feats are, Dave Holmquist, Biola athletic director and men’s head basketball coach boasts his own impressive record.
Over the course of 27 years as the head coach for the Eagles, Holmquist has amassed 684 wins, becoming the youngest coach at any collegiate basketball level to win 600 or 700 games.
With the way college basketball, or any sport for that matter, is today, it could be mystifying as to why such a successful coach would pass up an opportunity to lead an NCAA program.
That is, until you talk to Holmquist.
As he sat down for an interview in his office, which is heavily decorated with articles, team photographs and basketballs with Sharpie scribbles, he answered each question with tremendous poise, pausing as if to sift through the countless memories that each decoration in the room represented.
The pausing is not because he is introverted. As he frequents many of Biola’s home events, he casually strikes up conversations with many of the school’s athletes he has come to know.
Today, college basketball coaches rarely survive a losing season, making it far more than just uncommon for coaches like Holmquist to pass up opportunities to climb the ladder. It is downright rare.
“The relationships,” he responded after collecting his thoughts on why he passed up an opportunity to coach a NCAA program. “Relationships are much more important than a building.”
After pausing again, the wisdom of Holmquist, who holds five master’s degrees as well as a Ph.D. in physical education, shines through in his explanation.
“I have had some friends take coaching jobs with bigger pay and bigger budgets,” he explained. “But there is so much pressure to perform and such an emphasis on winning, that they are forced to recruit players that they don’t like and they cannot enjoy their job because they are so worried about performing. It takes the fun out of the job.”
Often times, it takes a coach a few different teams to find the right one that fits their style. Take New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick who was run out of Cleveland. Or Pete Carroll, who had two head coaching jobs in the NFL before re-establishing USC as a football powerhouse.
For Holmquist, he found that perfect fit with just his second school.
“I’m rooted here,” he said of Biola, his alma mater. “This is my school. I went here, and I enjoy being here and developing relationships that last.”
And for a school that is noted for a community devoted to serving Jesus Christ, it should not go as a surprise that one of the most successful coaches in any sport considers winning as secondary.
“We have always tried to emphasize working hard and what it means to be a teammate,” said Holmquist. “Sports teach you about humility. You could win by one and be considered the greatest, but if you lose by one, they can dissect everything you did wrong. But in all reality, if you realize how to be a good teammate then the winning will follow.”
