Charles (Chuck) Welke is the Kretchman Coaching Award recipient. The late Welke earned a B.S. in Secondary Education in 1975 and M.S. in Secondary Education in 1999, both from Northern.
Welke worked at Harrold High School (1975-1977) and Warner High School (1977-2010), teaching social science, health and physical education. He served as Warner's athletic director for 15 years, and was middle and high school principal for five years.
In his 27 years as a head boys' basketball coach, Welke's record was 439 wins and 185 losses. This included numerous Conference, District and Region titles and nine appearances at the State B Basketball tournament. He also coached the Warner girls' basketball team for four years, with a record of 48 wins and 31 losses.
Welke's awards and honors include: 1993 S.D. High School Basketball Coach of the Year; 2008 S.D. Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame; 2009 Region 2 Athletic Director of the Year; 2010 S.D. High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame; and 2014 S.D. High School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award.
Welke and his wife, Ellen, have three children, Chuck, Joel and Amber, all of whom played basketball for the Warner Monarchs with Welke as coach. They also have eight grandchildren: Jada, Jasmine, William, Jackson, Preston, Jamison, Brielle and Evan.
Welke retired in 2010, and served as a South Dakota Senator from 2013 to 2014. In 2021, he passed away unexpectedly of cardiac arrest. Welke was passionate about his family, students and community. He strongly believed in serving others. His final act of service was to donate his corneas to Dakota Lions Sight and Health, resulting in two people regaining their sight.
