Last Saturday, the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association (MSHSCA) held its annual Hall of Fame banquet at the Sheraton Hotel in Minnetonka, where numerous awards were presented from the 2020-2021 school year. The Becker Bulldog athletic department made a strong showing at the ceremony, as three of its coaches were recognized with Coach of the Year awards for their efforts during last year’s school sports season.

Becker softball coach Jason Baune, girls basketball head coach Dan Baird and his assistant, Dom Squires, each brought home some impressive hardware after earning the recognition as the top coaches in the state in their respective sports.

“We congratulate each of the three coaches for their Coach of the Year awards,” said Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi. “Each one put forth the effort and showed the dedication necessary to be deserving of this recognition and we are proud of their accomplishments.”

Coach of the Year awards are decided by a vote of the activity membership and following are bios of each award winner.

Jason Baune

Baune just completed his 19th year as the head coach of the softball program and has a career record of 306-132. 

Baune, who teaches sixth grade at Becker Middle School, has been honored as the Section coach of the year seven times in the past. 

“I believe that any time a coach is awarded Coach of the Year, it is a reflection on the entire program,” Baune says. “It represents the countless hours put in by the entire coaching staff, many miles driven by parents, and, most importantly, the incredible dedication of the student-athletes that make the program a success.”

Over the past several years, Niemi has had a front row seat to watch the success of the softball program, and he believes Baune was well-deserving of the honor.

“Jason has built our softball program into one of the most respected and successful programs in the state,” Niemi says. “It is a great accomplishment and such a rewarding bookend to easily one of the most challenging years that the coaches and student athletes have ever had to face.”

For Baune, he says the award means a lot because it represents a career of hard work and dedication to helping student-athletes reach their potential, even when it means sacrificing time with his own family. 

While the state softball coaches association doesn’t name Assistant Coach of the Year winners, that is something Baune is looking to perhaps change now that he has a platform to do so. He was recently elected as the President of the MN Softball Coaches Association and in his mind he has a worthy candidate on his coaching staff.

“Matt and Jesse O’Neill deserve special mention, as Matt has coached with me the entire 19 years and drives much of our success,” Baune says, while also mentioning Judee Vesledahl as having a big influence on his coaching career. “Jesse has also been a constant pillar in our program.”

In the end, Baune sees his award as a recognition of his attempt to influence the lives of his athletes outside of the softball field.

“I don’t feel that coaching is about wins and losses, but I do believe that when student-athletes learn skills like hard work, leadership, and teamwork it greatly increases their chances of achieving their goals,” Baune says. “I also appreciate my wife and kids that have spent so many hours at the softball fields and have always supported me and the team.”

Dan Baird

In just five years on the job, Baird has the Bulldog girls basketball team mentioned among the top programs in the state, regardless of class. Baird has taught science at Becker High School for the past 22 years and has many years of experience in coaching different sports in Becker, including basketball, golf and soccer.

“Dan has worked incredibly hard to build our girls basketball program into one of the top programs in the state,” Niemi says. “The time coming in for open gyms, meeting with the players and coaches, and all of those things that come with putting full commitment into the role as head coach are all things that Dan has done since he took over here as the head coach.”

Barid says the award is the culmination of a lot of hard work put into the program by all of the coaches, but he also points to the dedication of his players are being uncommon.

“Most of the players play year round, set growth related goals, and intrinsically work to achieve them . . . their dedication, work ethic, and attitudes are inspiring,” Baird says. “For the program, an award like this is a reflection on the entire system and it brings positive attention to Becker Schools.”

From a personal standpoint, Baird sees the award as fulfilling since it comes from his colleagues across the state.

“Individually, the award means other coaches think you’re doing a nice job and many of them I have a ton of respect for, so that makes it nice,” Baird says, while also mentioning Regan Anderson as a key mentor in his coaching heritage. “From a personal standpoint, I’m my toughest critic, so this allows me to take a step back and maybe put less pressure on myself.”

Baird’s team has had an interesting past two years, with the pandemic stopping them just short of the title game two years ago and then claiming the state championship last year. In addition, his team will open this coming season ranked as one of the best teams in the state. Through it all, he is appreciative of the support of his school and family.

“Our administration has been amazing at supporting girls basketball during tough times over the Covid pandemic . . . they just get it,” Baird says. 

Baird’s family has also played a key role in the past years, as his head coaching duties mean a good deal of time away from his family. However, for the Barid’s, the girls basketball program has turned into a family affair.

“My girls, Addison (12) and Vivian (6), were able to cheer and follow the girls the last three years during this run and witness that hard work pays off . . . that’s a good teachable moment,” Baird says. “Brenda, my wife, has allowed me to spend countless hours with the team during the season, and supporting them during the offseason, because she knows it’s important to me and that has meant a lot.”

Dom Squires

Squires is in his eighth year teaching Health at Becker Middle School and is looking forward to his sixth season working with the girls program. 

“Dom has been right with Coach Baird each step of the way in working to prepare our girls basketball teams to be successful,” Niemi says. “It takes a great team of coaches behind the scenes each day to put the philosophies and plans in place for each year . . . and Dom has played a significant role as an assistant coach.”

For Squires, winning the award shows that he is an instrumental part of making sure that the program continues to have top their talent ready to step up each year.

“To me it is not an individual award, but a team and program award,” Squires says. “It’s just fun to know the players and the program are getting the recognition they deserve.”

Baird has been outspoken about his positive feelings of his entire coaching staff, yet acknowledges that Squires plays an integral role in the program’s development.

“A good varsity program is only as good as the JV and Dom’s JV team has only lost maybe 3 to 4 games over the last few seasons and has matched our Varsity success,” Baird says.  “Girls will be ready to jump in and contribute this season because Dom is energetic and cares a lot for these girls, he relates well to them, and works his tail off modeling the growth mindset we preach.”

In other words, each time the team takes the court, the players bring with them lessons learned during their journey to becoming a varsity player.

“The award really shows how great our kids are,” Squires says. “It is a way for our players to get recognized for the hard work and dedication they put in.”