IBCA E-Newsletter

2019 Coaches’ Roundtable participants

A roundtable of former coaches is one of the items planned for the 2019 IBCA Clinic. This year’s panel features a trio of coaches – Dave Clark, Charles Denbo and Roger Schroder – who will offer their expertise on building programs that stand the test of time.

Here is more info on each of the panelists.

Dave Clark

Dave Clark led varsity boys’ basketball teams to 327 victories, nine sectional titles and three regional crowns in 26 seasons at Switz City Central, White River Valley and Franklin Community high schools. He coached at various levels for 32 years and was in education for 37 years before retiring as a teacher in 2016.

Clark is a 1973 graduate of Bloomington North, where he competed in four years of basketball, one year of baseball and one year of track. He attended Indiana University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education in 1978. He earned a master’s degree from IU in athletic administration in 1985 and added a physical science teaching certification from IU in 1992.

Clark began his coaching career at Mooresville, serving as an assistant for the Pioneers’ boys basketball team from 1980-86.

His first head coaching position came in the fall of 1986 at Switz City Central, which was consolidated into White River Valley in 1990. In eight seasons at both schools, Clark directed the Tigers and Wolverines to a combined record of 120-73 with four Greene County titles, three sectional trophies and two regional crowns. He then moved to Franklin, where he guided the Grizzly Cubs to a 207-202 slate, two Johnson County Tournament crowns, six sectional titles and one regional championship.

Twice, one time each at WRV and Franklin, Clark’s teams made the elite eight of the one-class state tournament. His teams also posted a combined 11 conference championships.

Clark earned numerous coaching honors. He was Bloomington Herald-Times Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992; Bloomfield Evening World Coach of the Year in 1991, 1992 and 1993; Terre Haute Tribune-Star Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1993; Indianapolis Star Metro Coach of the Year in 1997, and Mid-State Conference Coach of the Year in 2010. He also served as an assistant coach for the Indiana All-Star team in 1994.

Clark served as a vice president and president of the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association, and he was inducted into the HBCA Hall of Excellence in 2018. He currently coaches each year in the IBCA/IHSAA Underclass Showcase and serves on two Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame committees.

In his 22 years at Franklin, he taught physical science, physical education, health and weights and conditioning at different times.

Clark and his wife, Teresa, live in Bloomington. They have two children – David Brett, 26, and Lauren, 24.

Charles Denbo

Charles Denbo guided varsity boys’ basketball teams to 402 victories in 35 seasons at four schools, including a 292-291 mark in 27 years at Orleans High School from 1968 through 1995. Previously, he went 28-15 from 1960-62 at Vallonia, 53-37 from 1962-66 at Brownstown Central and 29-15 from 1966-68 at Crothersville. In his career, Denbo’s teams won three sectional championships and nine conference titles.

At Orleans, he also coached baseball for 20 seasons (with three sectional titles and five conference crowns), boys cross country for 17 seasons and boys golf for five seasons. He served as the school’s athletic director for 31 years, assistant principal for 23 years and taught English, history and health/physical education.

Denbo is a 1953 graduate of French Lick High School, where he earned nine varsity letters in multiple sports. He went on to Indiana Central University (now the University of Indianapolis), where he earned 12 letters in basketball, baseball, cross country and track & field. He helped the Greyhounds to Hoosier College Conference and NAIA District 21 championships in basketball in 1956.

He then became a teacher, coach, athletic director and school administrator. He also earned a master’s degree from Indiana University in 1965.

Denbo received the Distinguished Service Award from the Hoosier Basketball Coaches Association in 2001 and the Governor’s Distinguished Hoosier Award in 2003. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 and the UIndy Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Roger Schroder

Roger Schroder directed varsity boys’ basketball teams to 258 victories and three sectional championships in 22 seasons at Indianapolis John Marshall and Broad Ripple high schools. He was a high school basketball coach for 31 years, coached various high school sports for 35 years and was a teacher for 38 years before retiring from Indianapolis Public Schools in 1996.

Schroder was a multisport athlete at Milan High School, playing on the famous team that made the State Finals in 1953 and won the state championship in 1954. He went on to Franklin College, where he earned two letters in basketball, played two other sports and graduated in 1958.

He was an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Indianapolis Howe for nine seasons before becoming a head coach. He then became the boys’ basketball varsity coach at Marshall for 19 years and was the varsity boys’ coach at Broad Ripple for three years. He served on the founding board of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association in 1974-75.

Schroder was the Murat Caravan Club Basketball Coach of the Year for Indianapolis-Marion County in 1968-69, the IPS Basketball Coach of the Year in 1988-89 and the IPS all-sports Coach of the Year in 1988-89.

In addition to basketball, Schroder coached baseball at John Marshall and Indianapolis Howe as well as golf at Broad Ripple. He also served as chairman of the youth basketball committee for the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis.

Schroder was in the inaugural class of inductees into John Marshall Hall of Fame in 2008. He also was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Ripley County Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

He and his wife, Sue, have three children – Vicki, Julie and Kent.