As the story goes, in 1979, Randy Wolken was essentially forced to take the softball head coaching job at St. Joseph-Ogden in order to secure the boys’ basketball coaching position.

Nearly 40 seasons later, Wolken is now the winningest softball coach in state history, and added another milestone to his career when he recorded his 1000th career victory during a 15-0 victory over St. Thomas More on April 27, 2017.

Wolken has led the Spartans to the IHSA State Finals eight times in his career, including winning the Class A state championship in 2006. His squads have collected five total trophies.

For more on Wolken’s milestone, watch an interview with legendary coach on Champaign's WCIA-TV: