Dale Vos – Mens' Golf & Basketball Coach

Dale Vos is a familiar face on SC4's campus. This year marks his 30th anniversary with the college and over the years he's not only become the men's basketball coach, men's golf coach, and Athletic Director, but also a mentor and friend to many. 

"We're all competitive. We all want to win and the games are important, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't important to me," Vos said. "I like the strategy, the games, and the preparation for the games. I love all that stuff. But the stuff that lasts is the relationships you build with the players, and even the assistant coaches." 

Prior to coming to the Blue Water Area, Vos worked for a few years as an assistant coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Alma College. When he arrived at SC4 for his first head coaching position, he was faced with a daunting task. 

The men's basketball team had gone two straight seasons without a win. It was 68 games before the Skippers finally beat Jordan College in 1991 to break the streak. Vos called that game a miracle and said he was grateful to not have to talk about the infamous losing streak anymore. 

"The nice thing was we didn't have to talk about it anymore," he said. "And we had a few kids returning from the previous year so that was nice for them."  

Since then the men's basketball program has seen steady improvement under Vos' leadership. In 2010 the Skippers were District Champions, earning their first trip to the NJCAA National Tournament and making it to the Sweet Sixteen. Then again in 2019, the team earned another District title and another chance to play in the National Tournament.  

Vos was the BCAM Junior College Coach of the Year twice, the NJCAA District Coach of the Year twice, and the MCCAA Eastern Conference Coach of the Year three times. His many accolades, strong leadership, and friendly personality have earned him respect across the country as he serves the NJCAA nationally. He's an NJCAA Regional Director and the NCJAA Board of Regents Treasurer.   

"He has had so many years of experience. You can ask him anything about any situation in the game and he'll have an answer," sophomore Riley Bugg said. "The knowledge he has is incredible. I love talking to him about all the little things." 

With such great knowledge and many national connections, Vos has helped a lot of his players go on to play at four-year universities.  

"We've had a lot of success of moving kids to the next level," Vos said. "I don't have the exact number, but it's very, very close to 100% of the kids who stayed for a full two years and did what they were supposed to do academically, we can find them a place to play." 

His knowledge extends beyond the basketball court. As an avid golf player himself and now the men's golf coach, Vos gets to spend a lot of time on the green.  

"I like the outdoorsness of golf. I just love being on a golf course," he said. "I think golf is an incredibly difficult game to play. It's funny because in basketball you have to have the conditioning and athletic ability, and golf doesn't take all those athletic abilities, but it's a very difficult game to master."  

Despite the game's difficulty, Vos and the Skippers have found success and even lifelong careers in the sport. He said that although he doesn't usually work with his athletes' swings too often, several alums are eager to help. 

"The head pro at St. Clair Country Club was a former Skipper player, the pro at Port Huron Elks is a former Skipper player, and the assistant pro at Port Huron has been a Skipper player," Vos said. "We use those people as resources. That's the really cool thing about golf. It's very much a giving back sport. The golf pros understand that if they don't support junior golf, they don't have a future. And they're fantastic about that." 

Similar to the relationships he has with his former golfers, the many other relationships Vos has formed during this 30-year tenure are ones he values and will continue to develop. He's always eager to help a student-athlete or a fellow coach, making him one of the most well-respected men in the NJCAA.