With over 600 career wins and as one of the top high school coaches in the state of Iowa, he knows a thing or two about the game of basketball.

 
He is not as big a name in Wayne as he is in Iowa, but he has had countless athletes become student athletes for the Wildcats.

 
In 1963, Jerry Christensen walked in to the locker room to give his first pre-game speech in a little town of Ravenwood, Mo. Little did he know he would coach for the next 52 years and give countless pre-game speeches.

 
“My only goal when I walked into the locker room for the first time was to take a team to the state tournament as least once,” Christensen said. “At the time there were only two classes in the state and it was difficult for a smaller school to make it.”

 
He finally accomplished his goal in 1971, but in an unexpected state. Carroll High School in Iowa.

 
“There were only two classes in Iowa at the time, A and 2A, so it was a pretty big deal to make it,” Christensen said. “We got third ,and the team we beat, ironically, I spent the next 32 years coaching.”

 
After a stint in Illinois, he found himself in a small town near Council Bluffs, at Treynor High School, where he took seven different teams to state, including two with his son on them.
“It’s great looking back when I was in Missouri wanting to make just a state tournament, and now I made it with eight different teams,” Christensen said.

 
When asked about why he chose to pursue a career in coaching, he said, “I love working with young people who want to be successful on the court as well as off. The gym is a great place to mold the minds of young kids and for student athletes to display leadership qualities, responsibility and the ability to work as a team for success.

 
“Teaching fundamentals, the footwork, the defense, and seeing the smiles and excitement of the kids when they grow into not only a good athlete, but a responsible adult that they and the community can be proud of.”

 
Fifty-two seasons of basketball, 9 years of baseball, 5 years of track and 14 years of football. He has accomplished that goal as well as molding young teenagers into adults. A number of his student athletes ended up either becoming a student athlete here in Wayne, or just becoming students.

 
Besides earning eight state tournament appearances, Christensen said his high point “was also winning 620 games and being inducted into the Iowa Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.”

 
Christensen was named 1A Southwest Iowa District Coach of the Year (IBCA) in 1984. In 2006, he was named 1A Substate 8 Coach of the Year and 1A State Coach of the Year (IBCA).

 
He retired in 2006, ending a 42-year high school head coaching career, and had the fourth highest all-time win total in Iowa at the time of his retirement.

 
After retiring, he moved to Avoca and helped volunteer at AHSTW basketball program.

 
“When contacted, I had the intention of only helping for one year, but as time went on, I got attached to the student athletes, not only on the court, but as a substitute teacher,” Christensen said.

 
“Each year the players have asked me to come back to continue the process of being a better player, student and person, as well as a better team.”

 
Even though he is retired, he still keeps busy substituting, helping out with the local high school and going to see his grandchildren in their sports all year long.

 
When asked when he thought he would finally retire, he said, “Probably the next five or so years unless someone asks me to help out, and I stupidly say yes again.”