WELLS — United South Central/Alden-Conger track and cross country coach Kent Viesselman has constructed a running dynasty that has reached unparalleled success built upon principles that extend beyond the sand pits and hurdles.

In 38 years of coaching in Wells, Viesselman has had only one losing season, just one.

His teams have won two True Team state titles, 11 True Team section titles, and seven conference titles including the past four years for the boys’ team and last three years for the girls’ team.

The only thing missing is a state team title but Viesselman would gladly take a True Team title over that because the True Team championship is a better measure of the quality of a team, one that is dependent upon the performance of all instead of a few individuals.

He has built his empire by emphasizing the team aspect of track.

While others believe track to be about the individual Viesselman has instilled the importance of team with every squad he has coached.

“A lot of young coaches coming out don’t know what it is to be on a track team, they treat it as an individual sport,” Viesselman said. “Their perspective is a lot different than mine. We’re very team orientated here.”

Viesselman starred for Blue Earth in the 880 yard event even though he was reluctant to run it at first.

“I wanted the easiest way out I could, so I got in the 100, low hurdles and discus,” Viesselman said. “I figured those were the three easiest events, but the junior high coach said we had to be in four events that day. I got done with the hurdles and had only been in three and the only thing left was the 880 and I went over behind the pole vault tent hoping he wouldn’t find me because I didn’t want to run that. In those days they had sawdust pits so it was kind of hard to hide from him. He found me and made me run it and I ended up winning it by 150 yards which was a complete shock to everyone. Then I was hooked.”

Viesselman went on to finish sixth in state in the 880 his senior year and ran cross country and track at Minnesota State University in Mankato.

There he learned about one of the pillars of his program — the team concept — from legendary track coach Bud Myers.

Viesselman’s assistant coach Mark Schmitz has noticed the attention he pays to developing a team.

“He works on the team concept, developing all the people he has, that’s the key,” Schmitz said. “He really is adamant about the team concept over the individual.”

The team, for Viesselman, begins with paying attention to each individual.

“My goal is to talk to every kid every day,” Viesselman said. “My approach is a little backwards than a lot of people think. Dick Vermeil always said that morale starts at the bottom of the roster. If you’re going to have a good program as opposed to a good team you’ve got to have freshmen and sophomores coming all the time. The veterans and better athletes have more impact on your success as a team and you naturally have a tendency to visit with those kids more. I tell them if they’re getting their name in the paper and getting medals and they’re getting recognition they don’t need recognition from me like the younger kids do. If you want to keep your program going the kids you have to talk to are the kids that aren’t getting that.”

As part of that philosophy the upperclassmen are expected to go out of their way to help the younger athletes on the team. Viesselman explains that when the athletes get older they get special responsibilities, not special privileges.

“We spend way more time talking about citizenship, responsibility, commitment, positive attitude and things like that more than getting your steps,” Viesselman said. “I tell them as they get older that doesn’t warrant them special privileges, that gives them special responsibilities. You’re a senior, your job is service, you help the other kids in their event even if they’re going to beat you, that’s your job.”

Therein lies one of the main principles of Viesselman’s guidance — teaching kids lessons through the structure of his program.

Senior Bryan Hauge credits Viesselman for instilling in him qualities he wouldn’t otherwise possess.

“I wouldn’t want any other coach,” Hauge said. “He tries to set his examples for outside of track and tries to set us up for life. As a senior I have to be a leader and I think that has a lot to do with him as a coach, his personality has rubbed off on me.”

Few high school seniors would go out of their way to help younger teammates, but that’s a staple of the USC/AC program under Viesselman.

“Just the other day I went over to a meet in Maple River that we weren’t in and I took two freshmen boys over with me,” Viesselman said. “The first thing I asked them was ‘This is your first year on varsity track, how’s it going?’ the second thing I asked them was ‘Is there anybody on the team that has really gone out of their way to make it easy for you in terms of dealing with the difference in intensity?’ Each of them had about three or four guys that had gone way out of their way to help them.”

Viesselman has worked hard to develop athletes. When a newcomer joins the team Viesselman tests them to see which events suit them best.

“He has a training program for each person depending upon their ability,” Schmitz said. “We test them at the beginning of the season and he knows their long term potential.”

Although Viesselman retired from teaching math in 1999 USC athletic director Brett Schimek says it still feels like he works full-time because he is around the track fixing hurdles and molding athletes.

“He’ll get what he needs out of the kids he has,” Schimek said. “He knows how to make his adjustments and put kids in the events he needs.”

The 65-year-old has a stern demeanor, but a disarmingly dry sense of humor. He’s demanding of his athletes, but all for the stake of personal development.

He’s left kids waiting on the curb to go to a meet because they’ve missed practice, made others run extra to make up for a missed practice, but the people that know him have nothing but respect for him.

Viesselman is one of the most respected coaches in the state and already in the Minnesota Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the True Team Hall of Fame, an honor typically not given to an active coach.

“With Kent you have to be serious about trying to improve yourself,” Schmitz said. “I think it’s the inner drive he tries to instill.”

Reserved in his approach, little suggests an overt desire to win, but the opposing coaches know he doesn’t care for losing.

Waseca cross country coach Gary Meuer has known Viesselman for over 30 years since the two began coaching the early 1970s and he knows what it’s like facing a Viesselman-coached team.

“People don’t understand the passion,” Meuer said. “He hates to lose. He’s nothing but motivation, he brings out competitiveness because you know he’s going after you so you’re going to go after him.”

Age: 65

Address: 295 seventh Ave., Wells

Livelihood: Retired math teacher, USC/AC track and cross country coach

Family: wife Diane; son Kreg; daughter Kris; son Kent “Buzz”

Interesting fact: Son Kreg lives in Oslo, Norway, and is a professional musician, daughter Kris works for National Geographic as the editorial director for maps and has been a member of three Pulitzer Prizes. Son Kent coaches track at Cambridge-Isanti.