Charlie Gartenmayer Steps Down as Assistant Football Coach

ATCHISON, KAN. (July 13, 2022) – Benedictine College Athletic Director Charlie Gartenmayer has announced that he is stepping down from his role as Associate Head Coach for the Raven Football program. He will continue to serve Benedictine, the Raven Athletic Department, and its student-athletes as Athletic Director.

“After 48 years of serving Benedictine College as an assistant football coach, the time has come for me to step away,” Gartenmayer said. “I have enjoyed the relationships that football has allowed me to build over the years both with my fellow coaches and with our student-athletes.

“I look forward to creating more in-depth relationships with all of our student-athletes, coaches and staff as we continue to build a successful Athletic Department here at Benedictine College.”

Gartenmayer played football for the Ravens and graduated from Benedictine in 1975. He joined the coaching staff soon after graduation. In 2007, he retired after 32 years of service in the Atchison Public School System before taking over as the Athletic Director at the college later that year. After being named the American Football Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002, Gartenmayer was also named the Heart Conference Athletic Director of the Year in 2019 and the Heart South Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020. Never before in the recorded history of any level of college football has one man earned recognition as both an Assistant Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year.

“On behalf of our football program, we are forever grateful for the service and sacrifice that Coach Gartenmayer and his wife Sheila have given to Raven Football,” said Benedictine Football Head Coach Joel Osborn. “Coach Gartenmayer’s impact on the lives of our current players, former players, current coaches and former coaches goes well beyond football. Thank you for everything!”

Under his leadership as Athletic Director, the Benedictine Athletic Department has continued to represent the school at the highest levels. In the past five years alone, the department has won 12 conference championships and competed in the NAIA postseason 48 times, including Men’s Cross Country, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Lacrosse and Football all going to their respective national championships in 2018-2019, and winning the 2022 NAIA Women’s Lacrosse National Championship this past Spring.

The success hasn’t stopped in competition. The department has earned 268 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes honors, 331 All-Heart Scholar Athletes, and 68 NAIA Scholar Teams. Raven Athletics has continued to expand, and the facilities have flourished. Gartenmayer has added men’s wrestling, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse as intercollegiate sports. He has overseen the addition of the Asher Sports Complex – home of Benedictine Baseball and Softball, helped upgrade O’Malley Field to FieldTurf, and added the John Casey Center to what is now known as Legacy Field.

“We have truly been blessed to have Charlie involved with the football team and the Athletic Department over all these years,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “He is committed to excellence in everything he does and that is reflected in both his accomplishments and his recognition at the conference and national levels.

“He has coached some of the toughest defenses in the college’s history and now, without that responsibility during the season, he will be able to devote his full attention to his role as Athletic Director, which will be a huge benefit to the Athletic Department and Benedictine College.”

Benedictine College is a four-year, Catholic, liberal arts college nestled on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. Raven Athletics competes in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a member of the Heart of America Athletic Conference. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. It has a mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.

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