SUN SAILOR — In a coaching career that has spanned eight decades and almost 70 years, 91-year-old Hopkins High boys basketball assistant Kenny Novak Sr. is still on the bench, still relevant and still pursuing his passion.
Unfortunately, he missed out on the 2020 State Class AAAA Tournament, not because the Royals didn’t qualify, but because the Minnesota State High School League canceled the event due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
So instead of providing game coverage of the state tourney, this is a good time to review Novak’s memorable coaching accomplishments.
His coaching career began the year after he graduated from St. Cloud State early in the 1950s. At 22, he was hired by his alma mater as the youngest head college coach in America.
Read more: Kenny Novak Sr. – Yesteryear’s mastermind, today’s icon
