Gene Klinge ’62 became the seventh girls basketball coach in high school history to notch 1,000 victories on Thursday, Jan. 31 when Waukon, Iowa, defeated MFL-MarMac of Monona, Iowa, 88-60.

The 76-year-old Klinge, who has lost just 239 games in 51 seasons, told the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “It’s been a wonderful run. But I’m glad to have this over with. The girls had gotten tired of it and I had gotten tired of it. I know it’s a tremendous accomplishment; I don’t mean to make light of it at all. For a while, I’d begun to wonder if it wasn’t going to happen until next year.

“More than anything, I’m proud of the percentage of games we’ve won in the long haul. A thousand wins, more than anything means a lot of cold feet on the bottom of yellow buses through the years.”

He coached 41 years at West Central High School in Maynard, then took the job at Waukon in 2003. He guided the Indians to the Class 3A state championship in his first year (2003-04).

That’s one of 16 teams he has taken to state — 12 at West Central, four at Waukon.

Klinge is a 1990 UIU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.