The girl groomed her father, Gary Altman, to coach girls basketball in and around Iowa State for nearly 40 years.
Making sure his young basketball players are prepared for a successful life off the court has become his passion.
“Coach Altman was special,” said Kelly (Kaiser) Pennekamp, who played for Altman at Pleasant Valley High School from 1997-2000. “A coach’s goal was to teach the game of basketball, but more importantly, the game of life. During the four years that he was our PV coach, we had many lessons, laughs and good times.”
Altman died earlier this month of complications from a heart condition. He was 73 years old.
“The Father of Hundreds of Girls” will be remembered Sunday in the main gym at Bettendorf High School.
Billed as “Coach Altman’s Last Halftime Speech,” the event of a lifetime begins at 12:30 p.m., doors open at 11:45 a.m., with a dessert reception scheduled for 2 p.m.
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Altman’s family asks that visitors wear their favorite Mississippi Athletic Conference school uniform or their favorite sports team uniform.
Memorials will go to the fund, which will allow girls to develop their basketball skills through youth programs at local schools, including Bettendorf, Pleasant Valley and Burlington, where Altman coached and/or taught, and other MAC schools.
The meeting will be hosted by national news reporter Harry Smith, who worked with Altman at Central College before retiring from NBC earlier this year.
Also speaking will be former University of Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder, who began her coaching career at St. Ambrose, and former Bettendorf football coach Randy Scott.
Former sportswriter colleague Dirrell Bates described Altman perfectly in a story about his retirement from PV, where he completed high school head coaching stints at Twin Cedars HS, Keokuk HS, Bettendorf, Burlington and Pleasant Valley. He served as an assistant at Alleman High School before taking the head coaching job at Black Hawk College. He ended his career as an assistant at Augustana College.
Bates wrote that Altman was “always a big contributor to learning the lessons of life off the court. On the floor, he may give the appearance of a gruff old bear, but he’s really just a gentle, old teddy bear who cares.”
Altman’s daughter, Mindy, called it the “Gary Altman Effect.”
“A friend of mine said ‘Gary was the father of thousands of girls’ when we said goodbye, and he really was,” Mindy said. “She cared about the girls, she supported the girls, she helped them achieve goals that they wouldn’t have otherwise. She made you believe that being a girl doesn’t matter and that you can do anything on this planet if you work hard, dream it, and believe in yourself.”
His lessons were taught both through sports – including successful stints with Iowa State AAU programs and while directing numerous summer camps – and in the classroom.
“Kids can benefit a lot from sports, learning to prepare for life by dealing with the challenges that sports bring,” Altman told Bates in a 2006 interview. “Sports is a stage that young people can use to become successful adults, but they may not realize it.”
Many understood the lessons taught by the 2006 Iowa Girls Basketball Hall of Fame inductee.
“The best thing about Coach Altman was not her playfulness, but instead the fact that she truly treated each of her players as if they were her own daughter,” said Lindsey Schwartz, who described Altman as a passionate and creative coach. “He was the first person to come up to the stands at other sporting or school events, call and congratulate us on our awards, be a listening ear if we needed guidance, and always check in on us.”
“Coach was one of my biggest fans on and off the field,” said Megan (Wood) Rice, who played for Altman at PV from 2001-2003. “I knew he was always in my corner and wanted the best for me. He really cared about all his players.”
Rice joked that Altman was impressed. “I can still do our crime after more than 20 years!”
“We are saddened to lose a great coach who touched so many lives in the community,” said Olivia Durant, who played for Altman at Black Hawk. “His positivity and inspiration were seen by all who followed his path.
“Apart from the game, he instilled the values of teamwork, discipline and endurance. His kindness and support extended beyond the court to our personal lives for a long time. … Coach Altman’s spirit and legacy lives on in our community. Thanks for everything, coach.”