To the editor:

I read the news of Terry Culhane’s retirement as the SMSU volleyball coach and read his coaching feats — and all I could do was sit back for a second and admire

I covered Culhane’s teams for the Independent — first as a very green part-time sports writer in the mid to late 1990s, and then as sports editor for seven years. His teams, going back to the 1990s at Tracy-Milroy and then his time at Marshall HS and SMSU — always played hard and competed at a high level. He was a talented coach who demanded — and got — a lot out of his players, and the success of those teams speak for themselves.

He was never own to seek out glory for his teams’ success — rather it was about the athletes and what they accomplished.

I enjoyed covering his teams and working with him for many years and he was a true professional. We enjoyed a few off-the-record talks along the way.

I wish him and his family well in retirement. What a phenomenal coaching career.

Tom Berg

Marshall Independent Sports Editor (2000-2007)