Beavers Dedicate Saggau Family Court
Hardwood named to honor the late Bernie ’49 and Lois ’50 Saggau and family
Buena Vista University alumni joined friends and colleagues of the late Bernie Saggau ’49 in dedicating Saggau Family Court in Siebens Fieldhouse during the Central Bank Men’s Basketball Classic on November 15.
President Brian Lenzmeier greeted benefactors and fans, joined by Dr. David Saggau, son of the late Bernie and Lois (Kretzinger) Saggau ’50.
“Most touching is that Bernie was moved by this gesture. As he was coming down the home stretch of a long and incredible life, my sister, Rebecca, and I told him about Saggau Family Court. He quietly nodded his head and shed a tear or two. It was his last, and no doubt, most touching honor.”
-Dr. David Saggau
The court was named as part of a Building Champions fundraising effort spearheaded by alumni David and Cathy (Frick) Stead ’68, and Rick ’67 and Barbara Wulkow. For 32 years, David Stead presided as Executive Director of the Minnesota State High School League while Rick Wulkow assisted Bernie Saggau for parts of three decades before serving as his successor when Saggau retired as Executive Secretary of the Iowa High School Athletic Association in 2004. Both Rick Wulkow and Bernie Saggau are members of the BVU Athletics Hall of Fame.
The court was named for Bernie and Lois as well as their children: Dr. David Saggau, Rebecca Saggau, and the late Jeff Saggau.
“The fact it’s Saggau Family Court reminds us that Bernie, one of our greatest graduates, knew what mattered most: His family,” President Lenzmeier said. “It’s why we are so honored to have the Saggaus here today as well as those of you in the ‘Extended Saggau Family,’ which includes all of you who served, supported, and shared Bernie with millions of others across the country.”
Bernie Saggau served on the BVU Board of Trustees for 23 years, earning the Sir John Marks Templeton Life Trustee honor in 2019 for his distinguished service to his alma mater. Last spring, he shared a gift and a message with members of the BVU Class of 2025, lauding them for their accomplishments while encouraging those graduates to pay-it-forward by giving back to their alma mater in future years.
“It was here at Buena Vista that our dad met our mom,” David Saggau said. “He was sitting on campus with a few football buddies as she and another friend walked by in the fall of 1948. He was from Denison and was here to play football. She was from Coon Rapids and was at BV to earn a teaching degree.”
Bernie Saggau went on to become one of Buena Vista University’s best-known graduates. He is said to have visited and/or spoken in every high school in Iowa. His motivational addresses centering on faith, family, sportsmanship, citizenship, and education would take him to stages and podiums throughout the world as he spoke in all 50 states to hundreds of thousands of people in a career that eclipsed parts of four decades with the Iowa High School Athletic Association. For the past 36 years, every Iowa high school has presented The Bernie Saggau Award to the outstanding senior student-athlete who exemplifies the best in citizenship, sportsmanship, and service to others.
And while Bernie Saggau made a name for himself earning track accolades and “Little All-American” honors in football at Buena Vista, it was on the basketball court he came into prominence, nationally. He began officiating at small high schools around Storm Lake during the winters in his undergraduate time at BVU. He would go on to serve as a leading basketball (and football) official for the NCAA, working for seven years as the Commissioner of Officials in the Big Eight Conference. He helped write the rules for basketball on the international stage.
He was informed of the intention to name Saggau Family Court last spring, just weeks before his death on May 10, barely shy of his 97th birthday.
“Speaking on behalf of my sister and the Saggau family, we were greatly moved when we heard from Tim Gallagher ’90 (BVU Director of Development) that some of Dad’s friends had come together to honor him with the naming of Saggau Family Court,” David Saggau remarked. “Most touching is that Bernie was moved by this gesture. As he was coming down the home stretch of a long and incredible life, my sister, Rebecca, and I told him about Saggau Family Court. He quietly nodded his head and shed a tear or two. It was his last, and no doubt, most touching honor.”