Dean Aurich retires after coaching Mayer Lutheran football for 36 years

Dean Aurich, for the past 36 years the head football coach at Mayer Lutheran, has announced his retirement.

Mayer Lutheran revealed Aurich’s decision Tuesday morning.

Aurich, with a career record of 256-114, was inducted into the Minnesota High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022.

Aurich hit a high point in 2021, when Mayer Lutheran won the Class 1A state championship with a 20-14 victory over Minneota. Mayer Lutheran also reached the state tournament under Aurich in 1987, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2017 and last fall, when it lost to Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa 28-6 in the Class 1A quarterfinals.

More than 100 athletes who played for Aurich went on to play in college, according to Mayer Lutheran.

Aurich also coached track and field at Mayer Lutheran for 30 years.

“Coach Aurich was a successful coach on and off the field,” Mayer Lutheran activities director Kris Gustin said. “The wins, district titles and state appearances were all great, but where Dean truly made his greatest impact was in building relationships with his players and mentoring them to be good men as they moved on from his program.”