Around 100 former players return for Burlington icon
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor
Don Dalton hadn’t seen his six kids and 10 grandchildren all in the same place at the same time in some 20 years.
Dalton resides in Wautoma, far from his roots in Burlington, and his children are scattered everywhere from Wisconsin to Denver to Nashville.
Separate as they are, they weren’t going to miss this for the world.
Dad was honored last weekend with the unveiling of Don Dalton Stadium at Burlington High School.
Dalton, 73, an educator and coach for Burlington from the mid-1960s to 2001, won 22 Southern Lakes Conference championships in 27 years and later became athletic director.
He surpassed the 200-win plateau during his storied career.
“This is still my home,” Dalton told a packed crowd during a halftime speech at Friday’s football home opener.
A weekend that included a tailgate before Friday’s game, a social afterward at the Aurora Wellness Center and a Q & A session Saturday morning was enjoyed by the entire Dalton clan, which spent Friday and Saturday nights at Lake Lawn Lodge in Delavan.
“I don’t get to see all of my kids very often,” Dalton said Monday. “It was a great weekend. I have a lot of connections with former players. I was very proud to see everyone. You never know if you’re making a difference. That always makes you feel good.”
Former players of Dalton came from as far as California and Texas to honor Dalton. Dalton said a large group of former players, around 100, showed up to honor him.
“I’m amazed they all came back,” Dalton said. “It’s nice to see them as parents now.”
Dalton said he gets back to Burlington on occasion for sporting events or to see his dentist or doctor.
At halftime, Burlington Athletic Director Eric Plitzuweit gave a brief speech detailing Dalton’s impact. Then, Dalton spoke before receiving a plaque in honor of Don Dalton Stadium from one of his former players, Hans Block.
Dalton gave a passionate speech about education and the importance of a strong program. Though all of the winning was nice, Dalton emphasized the student-athlete.
“I feel very strongly about the number of kids on a team,” he said. “I put as much value on a backup as I do a starter. It didn’t matter where kids came from, we all had common goals. We always wanted to make the program a team-type atmosphere.”
Dalton said he helped start an initiative at the school to educate parents about the athletic code of conduct. He wanted to inform parents of what kind of trouble kids were getting into off the field.
“I think we made an impact,” he said. “We talked to parents, and many kids made commitments.”
Three weeks ago, Dalton got a call from Block about the ceremony. Block said the name change was going to the school board.
“I was taken back,” Dalton said. “You don’t realize at the time the value and importance of it. It’s not just me. It’s the program and all the kids that come back. It’s never one person. I have a soft spot in my heart for all the kids I’ve coached.”
After the football game, former players gathered with Dalton at the Wellness Center and watched a highlight video with pictures of the coach’s glory days. Dalton attributes the success to the popularity of the football program. Kids want to play for a winning team, he said.
“In the old days, we sustainded good numbers,” he said. “We tried to develop backups to make the starters better. You have to have numbers.”
Saturday morning’s question-and-answer session at the BHS cafeteria featured a host of former players, including former World’s Strongest Man Bill Kazmaier.
Kazmaier, who starred under Dalton, showed off his super-human strength by rolling up a frying pan, yes, a frying pan, into a heap of metal with his bare hands.
Dalton’s former players spoke of how he touched their lives and shared fond memories of their playing days.
“They said a lot of things that stuck in their minds as a team,” Dalton said. “They said what football meant to them. We always believed we were going to win every game.”
Though he no longer coaches, Dalton stays close to the high school sports scene. He travels to schools and sells helmet decals, sports plaques and connects with athletic directors and football coaches.
“It keeps me having a purpose,” Dalton said.
Dalton said he hadn’t been back to BHS for a sporting event since basketball season before last weekend.
With his name forever etched in the school’s football stadium, the living legend said he plans on coming back home more often.
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