When the workday concludes Friday, influential voices around athletics in the Minneapolis public schools will be one fewer.
After 40 years serving the city schools as a teacher, coach and athletic director, Dave Wicker is retiring.
A native of Burnsville and graduate of Bemidji State, Wicker, 62, got his first teaching job out of college at an alternative school in Minneapolis. He's been an employee of the district ever since, as a math teacher for more than 25 years but also as an advocate for athletics. He's been a throwback at a time when teacher retention is a growing issue.
"I was very fortunate to get a job right out of school," Wicker said. "Teaching jobs weren't real plentiful back then."
Two years later, he moved to Minneapolis Henry, the school with which he's mostly associated. His time at Henry got off to strong start. He met his wife, Karin, who was teaching French and coaching dance, on his very first day at the school. They've since been married for 35 years.
During his time at Henry, he witnessed the transformation of the conference athletic programs, largely changed by socioeconomics.
"When I first started, soccer wasn't nearly as big as it is now. And every school had a hockey team," said Wicker, who coached hockey as well as baseball and football, along with being an activities director at Henry, before moving to the Minneapolis Public Schools offices as district activities director in 2011. "Minneapolis was known for hockey. Growing up in Burnsville, we knew all about Minneapolis hockey. Now there's just one team for the whole district."
He's seen programs come and go that have had a significant impact on the district, such as "The Choice is Yours," a program that moved many city kids to suburban schools, and the growth of charter schools.
"What's really changed in the schools is the increased diversity. The dispersion of students has grown larger," Wicker said. "There are so many more barriers: financial barriers, parental barriers, language barriers. There are so many more English language learners."
Forever a champion of Minneapolis schools, Wicker knows the problems often get the most attention but said he has witnessed many good moments that deserve greater attention.
"It's unfortunate that too often the public's eye is quick to criticize," he said. "I've been blessed to know and work with so many wonderful kids and families. Like [former Metro Football Player of the Year] Paul Meyer. He's now a principal at Olson Elementary in Bloomington. Or Booker Hodges, who's now the chief of police in Bloomington. And some great coaches, like Richard Robinson and Jim Dotseth and the Alm brothers."
Wicker said he would like to see more equity with suburban schools in terms of facilities, and he said the one constant is the students. Their needs and desires never change.
"They all just want to fit in and be accepted," he said.
The time has come for Wicker to take a break. He wants to spend more time with family — "My immediate family," he said, a nod to how many students and athletes he considers family — and try to get his golf game back, fish and hunt a little.
"Stuff I wasn't able to maintain with my professional responsibilities," he said.
