Coach Konkol Steps Away from the Sidelines

Longtime Sussex Hamilton coach Tom Konkol, or “Teeks,” has stepped away from coaching a few times before, but this year he’s made the move permanent, announcing his retirement.

Konkol, 62, is a Sussex native who graduated from Hamilton in 1969. He found his way back to his hometown soon after graduating from UW–LaCrosse. He taught in Milwaukee and South Beloit in Illinois, but his wife, Beverly, wanted to move back home closer to family.

It wasn’t necessarily the move he envisioned. As the third oldest in a family of 12, Konkol still had four siblings attending school at Hamilton.

“I didn’t really want to come back to my old school, because I still had siblings here. I wanted to go out to my own place,” Konkol said. “But my wife wanted to be back by family.”

But after 34 years, Konkol has left behind a coaching legacy that will have a lasting impact on Chargers athletics.

In his first year at Hamilton, Konkol led the track team to its first and only state championship, and the boys cross country team qualified for state.

“I really didn’t know what I was doing,” Konkol joked. “I had a lot of good talent and a lot of good coaches.”

Of the several sports that Konkol coached, soccer is closest to his heart. He coached the girls and boys teams for two decades — with a few breaks from coaching mixed in. In fact, Konkol started the girls soccer program at Hamilton in 1982. In their first year, they only won their final game of the year, which was against Menomonee Falls.

“We were celebrating because we were actually winning at halftime,” Konkol said with a smile.

In 1988, he led the girls to their first state tournament berth. Two years prior to that run, Konkol had kick-started the Sussex Soccer Club.

Konkol is a dedicated and detail-oriented coach. After he retired from his teaching position, he continued coaching for two years. Konkol, who said a coach’s job spans 11 months of the year, scouted the girls in fall and set up a conditioning program in preparation for the season with his extra time. 

“I was here all the time,” Konkol said.

His dedication to the coaching craft was one of the primary reasons he felt it was time to let go for good. Konkol now has eight grandchildren, with a ninth on the way. However, he’s seen far fewer of their games.

“To continue to be dedicated is very demanding on a coach,” he said. “I’ve been missing watching (my grandkids) play to watch the high school kids play. I was starting to feel pretty guilty about that. I think it was also time for a younger coach to come in, I’m kind of the grandpa around here.”

Konkol, who played 16 years of Land O’ Lakes Baseball, is a highly competitive person. Any athlete or coach likes to go out on top, and Konkol believes he is leaving after one of the best girls soccer seasons he’s coached.

The girls finished .500 on the season in the Greater Metro Conference, but defeated Brookfield Central for the first time in team history. They also defeated Kettle Moraine, which was a top-ranked team at that point in the season. Three of their losses were by a 1-0 margin.

The girls lost to Germantown 2-0 in the WIAA Regional Final.

“Our style of play put us in a position to beat any team, and that was the best part of the season. It’s a beautiful game to watch,” Konkol said. “I would just sit there on the bench and say, ‘This is just so pretty.’”

After three decades, Konkol said he enjoys watching the teams come together and grow throughout the season. For Konkol, sports are about discipline, dedication, and hard work. He said all the teams he’s coached at Hamilton — good or bad — have exuded those traits.

“I love seeing the kids come together as the year goes on. Some kids play in new positions, or are coming on to varsity for the first time. However, you see them all blend together and there’s chemistry there.” Konkol said.

Now that he’s stepping away for good, Konkol said he’s got a strange feeling knowing he won’t be on the sidelines, organizing practices, or sending in scores. However, don’t expect to see him too far from the sidelines in the near future.

“I always said to myself, ‘If I can’t do anything else I’ll golf,’” Konkol said. “I need to thank my wife for all her support, which allowed me to be dedicated to coaching. She’s been there supporting our team and watching me play baseball for 16 years. She’s the biggest influence on my success as a coach.”