St. Thomas Academy boys’ hockey coach Mike Randolph was fired by the school after three seasons. He is the all-time winningest (707) head coach in Minnesota State High School League boys’ hockey history.
Randolph told WDIO News’ Alicia Tipcke that he had a meeting with the athletic director at the Mendota Heights School and was told the private school had decided not to renew his contract based on three reasons.
The first of those was he didn’t attend the school’s end-of-year banquet and Randolph — a Duluth, Minnesota resident — said this was due to a major Northland snowstorm.
“Then he said you’re not visible enough in the school, or the community. In other words, you never really purchased a home or made a commitment to all that,” Randolph said, though he had been renting a unit in the south metro while coaching at St. Thomas’
Today I caught up with Mike Randolph who shared the reasons St. Thomas Academy gave him for not renewing his contract after 3 seasons as their boys head hockey coach. pic.twitter.com/ftJbWQLhap
— Alicia Tipcke (@AliciaTipcke) May 3, 2024
The last reason he was given was that some parents questioned the style of play. Randolph said: “I guess that’s a matter of opinion,” adding that he would not “change the style of play based on input from somebody who’s never coached in their life. I always base the style of play on the team I’m dealt.”
Speaking to the Star Tribune, Randolph called the reasons “lame excuses.”
The school has since announced that they will hire Minnesota native Mark Strobel as their new head coach. He has college and professional coaching experience including being a former assistant coach for Wisconsin and UMD.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Strobel to the St. Thomas Academy community,” said St. Thomas Academy President Brian Ragatz.
“He has a championship pedigree and next-level experience, which will bolster our hockey program and benefit our student-athletes, particularly those with aspirations to compete beyond high school.”
