SANTA CRUZ — Hilding E. Ronning, affectionately known as “Tex,” a nickname he adopted in his youth while riding horses in rural Kindred, North Dakota, made a Clydesdale-sized impact on those who knew him.
But it was more than a seemingly contradictory nickname that left a lasting impression in this surfing crazed community. He’ll be remembered as a caring, dedicated and passionate teacher who also made enormous contributions as a longtime football and wrestling coach.
Ronning, a 2018 inductee into Santa Cruz High’s Athletics Hall of Fame, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer. He was 89. His two sons, Greg and Mitch, said Thursday that a Celebration of Life is forthcoming, after the family holds a private funeral at his church.
Former Santa Cruz High coach Hilding “Tex” Ronning with his wife, Dorothy, and their sons, Mitch, left, and Greg, in 2016. (Contributed)
“He was a one of a kind,” said Greg Lopez, a ’77 Cardinals graduate who wrestled and played football for Ronning. “He was always truthful and straight with you.”
Offered Randy Quilici, a ’75 alum who was also coached by Ronning before serving as his colleague on the sidelines: “He was a great man.”
Ronning excelled as the Cardinals’ wrestling coach for nearly two decades (1964-’82, and ’96). His teams won five league titles: one in the Monterey Bay League (1966-67), three in the Santa Cruz County Athletic League (1976-79), and one in the Coast Counties Wrestling League North Division (1982). He helped turn out 62 individual league champions.
He was also head coach of the varsity football team in ’70 and ’71, but served as varsity assistant and lightweight football coach for more than two decades. He was also Santa Cruz’s athletic director for two years (’86-88).
Ronning became the Cardinals’ football coach when it was a highly coveted position, a springboard to climb the coaching ranks. He took over for Dick Logan, who left to become head coach at San Francisco State University and later University of San Diego, and was replaced by John Volek, who later secured head coaching gigs at two community colleges before landing at the helm at Sacramento State University.
When Ron Mehuron replaced Volek as head coach in ’74, he said he was honored to have Ronning join his staff.
“He was such a friend and mentor,” said Mehuron, noting it was his first head coaching gig. “I’ve had so many friends over the years, and I count him as one of the best. … Both Logan and Volek spoke very highly of him. It’s a lot for some people to be a head coach and then be asked to take a step down and work as an assistant, but not for someone who really cares about the kids he teaches.”
Sports, teamwork, and the benefits of it, were in Ronning’s blood.
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Ronning played football, basketball, and baseball at Kindred High in North Dakota, which had a population of 889 in 2020. He had less than 10 students in his graduating class. He played guard on the Vikings’ 1953 state championship basketball team, which was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
After graduating from high school, he joined the service and worked as a medic in the Army for two years. He married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy, in ’55. The couple celebrated their 69th anniversary on April 25.
“He adored her,” the sons said.
Ronning later played tight end for Concordia College’s football team in Moorhead, Minnesota, and went on to earn a masters in physical education from Washington State University in ’59.
Ronning, a member of the reserves, was later stationed in Fort Ord. He and his wife often visited Santa Cruz when he was on leave, and that’s when he learned about a teaching opening at Santa Cruz High.
Longtime coach Hilding “Tex” Ronning, left, and his son, Greg, were inducted into Santa Cruz High Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. (Contributed)
Needless to say, he got the job.
“He beat out Dick Vermeil for the p.e. teacher position,” Mitch Ronning said.
(It should be noted, that things worked out OK for Vermeil, who went on to a long, illustrious career in coaching, which included him winning Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000 and being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.)
Ronning taught physical education at Santa Cruz from 1960-96. He also served as a driver’s ed teacher for the Cardinals.
“He probably taught half of the county how to drive,” Mitch said.
Mitch, told playfully that there are a lot of bad drivers in the county, countered, “That’s the other half.”
Two pieces of driving advice stuck with the Ronning boys, and likely anyone who took their father’s class: “You can drive seven miles per hour over the speed limit, and always check your mirrors,” Greg Ronning said.
The boys chuckled fondly when remembering two family traditions. They watched Monday Night Football religiously, with the four members of the family crammed on the couch like sardines. If their beloved 49ers or Raiders were playing, it was even better.
The family also made an annual road trip to North Dakota each summer, so the boys could visit their grandparents.
“On the last day of school, we’d go get buzz cuts, and at 4 a.m. the next day, we drove to North Dakota,” Mitch said. “Dad was a pretty determined driver, so we’d do 10-12 hours a day. We’d stay in a motel with a pool; that was the only break we got, and we’d make it to North Dakota in two-and-half days.”
Ronning loved teaching and coaching. Ideally, he would’ve liked to have coached basketball, but there was a hierarchy to such desired positions, and legendary coach Bill Dodge had a stranglehold on the position.
Ronning was a team player. The school needed a wrestling coach, and even though he had no wrestling experience, he jumped on the opportunity. He read dozens of books to ready himself and his athletic and educational backgrounds helped him find success. He also attended coaching clinics.
Some of retired coach Hilding “Tex” Ronning’s friends check out a wall in his garage featuring some of Santa Cruz High’s all-time wrestling greats. (Contributed)
“With no experience at all he became a wrestling coach, one of the winningest in our league,” said Ken Pollastrini, a ’75 Santa Cruz grad who wrestled for Ronning. “That is amazing. He taught himself, read, and learned.”
Ronning’s practices were short, intense, challenging, and fun. His grapplers conditioned plenty, but they also got plenty of mat time to help create muscle memory.
“Tex was all about getting the takedown, getting that first move,” Lopez said.
Lopez made takedowns his specialty. He’d get takedown after takedown, release his opponent each time, and shoot again in an effort to rack up points. Escape points weren’t implemented by the National Federation of State High School Associations until the 2018-19 season, so Lopez and some of his teammates would annihilate opponents.
“I was up 30 to 5 on one guy,” said Lopez, who went on to coach wrestling at Harbor in Santa Cruz. “It was before their were superior techs, and escape points. You could just humiliate people. Coach wanted to throw in the towel and let the guy beat me.”
As much as Ronning liked winning, he liked doing so with class. He also stressed that his athletes keep their word. If they said they were going to do something, they better make sure they did.
“We knew that coach was a role model, but he’d teach us about life, not just a sport,” said Pollastrini, who has coached wrestling at San Lorenzo Valley High in Felton for nearly 30 years. “Now, l there’s little things I do when I’m coaching, and I think of him.”
Often during practice, Ronning was on the mat, taking on the best his students had to offer, one after the other.
“We’d beat him up and he loved it,” said Lopez, noting that Ronning trained his athletes to become relentless and dominant. “When you won, he was getting his arm raised with you.”
“I can see him slapping his knee because of the success of others,” said Mehuron, fighting back tears.
Lopez said that as much as his coach prepared and motivated his athletes to perform in front of capacity crowds, Ronning’s wife also inspired the athletes to perform well. If a wrestler won his match, he earned himself a piece of her coveted chocolate sauerkraut cake.
Former Santa Cruz High coach Hilding “Tex” Ronning, left, poses with friend John Agnone at Ronning’s backyard horseshoe pit. (Contributed)
“It was delicious,” Lopez said. “We did a lot of things to get that sauerkraut cake.”
For a portion of its existence, Santa Cruz was without a permanent wrestling room. During one stretch, the team held practice on a mat in a corner of the school’s spacious gymnasium, while basketball practice was being conducted. For that reason, Ronning turned a portion of his house into a makeshift shrine for Cardinals wrestling. Portraits of his stars, including Craig Deane and Mark DiGirolamo, are featured on a wall in his garage. (Deane, a ’71 grad, was a Central Coast Section champion who went on to compete at UCLA, and DiGirolamo, a ’72 alum, also shined at the section level and went on to compete at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo and win the NCAA title at 118 pounds in ’76.)
If you were friends, you were family. The back door was always open at the Ronning’s Prospect Heights home. Former students, athletes often made their way to his house to chat and hang out. The Ronnings hosted a well-attended bash every Memorial Day. The country music was sure to be blaring, either Charley Pride, Conway Twitty or Merle Haggard
“He gave friendship to his athletes,” Mehuron said. “He was accepting of their successes and failures. That’s a unique coaching quality.”
After he retired, Ronning’s competitive juices remained. So he had Lopez, a contractor and neighbor for the past 38 years, help built a horseshoe pit in his backyard. It wasn’t there merely for recreation.
“Dad played horseshoes to win,” Greg said. “He still got his competition fix.”
Ronning traveled to out-of-area area state championships and even competed in a world championship.
“He’d get ringer after ringer, one on top of the other,” Lopez said. “He was intimidatingly good, as far as I’m concerned.”
Sadly, Ronning was experiencing shoulder pain while throwing shoes recently and went to hospital to inquire about surgery. That’s when he diagnosed with cancer, and it was pretty far along. His health declined rapidly the past few recent weeks. He spent his final four days in hospice.
“Noooo,” said Pollastrini, when hearing the news Thursday.
The news was too fresh, too painful for many.
“He’s a legend,” Lopez said. “He’s greatly missed already.”