KALAMAZOO, Mich.- George Dales, the most successful coach in Western Michigan University athletic history, has died in Kalamazoo. He was 96.
Dales was a track and field and cross country coach who led his teams to two of only three national championships ever won by Mid-American Conference teams. The beloved Bronco coach came to WMU in 1953, retired from his Bronco coaching positions in 1970 and remained a professor at WMU until his 1987 retirement. He was a legend in collegiate and Olympic sports. On campus, he was revered by generations of Broncos.
"George impacted countless lives and was a world-renowned ambassador for the sports of cross country and track and field," said WMU Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard.