The Front Row with Mark Nelke May 8, 2011

Before there was the current run by the North Idaho College women's basketball team, which culminated in a national championship in March, there was the NIC women's program of the 1980s and '90s, which made five trips to nationals in a 14-year span.

The head coach of the Cardinals during that time, Greg Crimp, was inducted (along with former NIC wrestling coach Les Hogan) into the NIC Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday night.

Crimp, however, is quick to point out that his assistants during those years, Vic Woodward and Kristi Johnson, deserve at least as much credit for the program's success as he does. Woodward was actually listed as co-coach for many of those years, and was on the bench for four of NIC's four trips to nationals in six years in the 1980s. Johnson was an assistant on the 1997 squad - the last NIC women's team to make it to nationals until the Cardinals returned in 2009, '10 and '11.

"My co-coach, as I called him, Vic Woodward, was, if not more than equally responsible, was equally responsible for what success we had. And I felt the same when working with Kristi Johnson. We had our best finish at nationals (sixth) when she was my assistant. She was the heart and soul, and fundamentally as sound as they come."

CRIMP's COACHING career consisted of one season guiding the eighth-grade boys team at Canfield Middle School when Rolly Williams, who was NIC athletic director as well as men's basketball coach, talked Crimp into taking over the fledgling NIC women's program. Williams had talked to Crimp briefly about playing at NIC after Crimp had graduated from Coeur d'Alene High in 1966. But Crimp went to Oregon, where he said he was "practice fodder" as a freshman for the Ducks' men's basketball team.

By 1979, Crimp had been in charge of the family-owned Sports Cellar sporting goods store in downtown Coeur d'Alene for a couple of years, taking over after his father has passed away. But he remembered how much he enjoyed coaching basketball at Canfield, and decided to give that a shot.

In that 10-year stint from 1979-89, NIC went to nationals in 1984, '86, '88 and '89, and Crimp was named Region 18 Coach of the Year four times (he was also named Coach of the Year in '97). In all four trips there was no consolation bracket. NIC lost in the first round in '84 and '86, and reached the second round in '88 and '89.

In 1989, NIC won the Region 18 tournament to qualify for nationals. Three days later Crimp's twin daughters, Caitlin and Carin, were born. Shortly after nationals, Crimp resigned to spend more time with them.

As the twins were growing up, Crimp coached his daughter, Lindsay Herbert, in AAU ball. By 1994, Herbert was headed to Lake City High (and later to the University of Utah), and the NIC job came open again.

Crimp decided the time was right to take over that program again and three years later, he had them back at nationals, winning the Region 18 title on a night where Christianson Gym was rocking as both the NIC women and men captured regional titles to advance to nationals.

"I was not someone like (Butler coach Brad Stevens), who is calm and keeps the kids poised," Crimp recalled. "I was the opposite ... I was known to have a few explosions."

With the demands ever growing in his coaching, his business and his family, Crimp resigned following the 2003-04 season and, now 63, still runs the Sports Cellar.

TIMES HAVE changed since Crimp took over a fairly new program in 1979, then took it to nationals for the first time five years later.

In those early years, most of the strong junior college teams were located in the South - in Texas, Florida, etc. These days, as the popularity of girls and women's basketball has grown, there are strong programs all over the country.

"I think our league was always competitive enough to compete (at nationals)," Crimp said. "I never felt like we were very close (to winning it all) when we went back there. And we took some good teams back.

"The team that we took back in '88-89 and the team that got sixth in 1997 were both very good basketball teams, but I didn't feel like either one was near national champion caliber with the teams that I saw back there.

"But certainly Chris and Carey (Carlson) have done a great job, done a great job recruiting and, remarkably enough, did it with a lot of local talent.

"I know a little bit about how difficult it is, and it is quite an accomplishment."

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at [email protected].