‘It never gets old’: Heights basketball coach Joe Auer registers career win No. 400
The all-time winningest boys basketball coach in City League history added another milestone to his record on Tuesday, as Joe Auer notched his 400th career victory at Heights in a 47-39 victory over East.
In the last 25 seasons under Auer, Heights has won five state championships, climbed as high as No. 5 in the national USA Today rankings, won a Kansas high school record 62 games in a row and claimed seven City League titles.
Following the latest milestone in a career full of them, Auer spent Tuesday night reflecting on how proud he was that all of those accomplishments have come in the Greater Wichita Athletic League.
“I’ve had the opportunity to coach in this league during an era where seven different schools have won a state championship during my time,” Auer said. “We’ve had so many great teams and great coaches. I’m just really blessed to be in the City League, which in my opinion is the best high school basketball league in the state of Kansas bar none, and I’m honored to be a part of that history and competing against guys like Steve Eck and Carl Taylor and Ron Allen and Dale Faber. It’s been an incredible experience.”
After 25 seasons, Auer says he still looks forward to practice these days just as much as he did in his first season in 1996.
“I really believe that every day is unique and every team is a brand new experience. It never gets old for me,” Auer said. “I can’t wait for our next game on Friday. It never gets boring. I guess the minute it does get boring is the time to get out. But I enjoy every aspect of it like I always have. It’s all about helping young people achieve their goals.”
Not even a losing 8-13 season last year, almost unheard of for Heights under Auer, could dampen his passion. After a career that’s been highlighted by some of the highest of the highs, Auer has been just as motivated to rebuild and lead the Falcons back to success.
Sure enough, Heights has rebounded this season behind the senior leadership of A.J. Neal, Bronxon Frierson, Tyren Miller and Rolando Reed. The Falcons are 10-5 overall and improved to 8-3 in the City League with Tuesday’s victory to remain in second place in the league.
“It’s hard to believe, but last year was actually one of the more fun years I’ve had because the kids worked so hard to try to get better,” Auer said. “We promised them if they put in the work last year, they would see the results this year. We’ve got a ton of kids who are playing this year that paid their dues last year.
“We’ve had so many great years, it was very healthy for our entire program to go through that and kind of try to reinvent ourselves. It was good for me as a coach and good for our players and we’re seeing the benefits of everybody sticking through it and hanging in there now.”
Winning basketball games isn’t the only part of Auer’s legacy at Heights.
He’s just as proud to talk about his job in the classroom at Heights, where he has taught seniors political science for the better part of the last three decades since arriving at the school in 1988.
Auer was also a successful baseball coach at Heights, tutoring future Major League Baseball pitcher Mike Pelfrey, winning 11 City League championships and finishing with a record of 282-96 in 19 seasons.
He said it wouldn’t have been possible over the years without support from administration and his family.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a ton of credit to my wife, Kay, who’s made a lot of sacrifices and encouraged me every step of the way,” Auer said. “She’s always had my back 100% of the time. Every coach will tell you that they can’t do it without the support and love from their family and I’ve been incredibly blessed in that regard.”
This story was originally published February 10, 2021 at 9:43 AM.
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