WESTBROOK -- Longtime Westbrook-Walnut Grove football coach Leo Theisen has announced his retirement.
Theisen, a native of Upsala, spent much of his teaching career in Walnut Grove and W-WG. He was head coach at Walnut Grove in the last years of it being a solo program. He coached for 38 years, including the last 24 as co-head coach at Westbrook-Walnut Grove.
While working with co-coach Carter Ross, Theisen acted as the team's defensive coordinator. Together, they guided the Chargers to the Minnesota 9-Man state tournament in 1998 and the 9-Man state championship in 2000.
Theisen helped lead W-WG to five conference championships, four conference runner-ups, two section titles and five section runner-ups during his career there.
He will remain activities director at the school. Ross will continue as coach of the W-WG football program and be joined by Johnny Benson as co-coach. Benson is a former head coach at Kimball and is the grandson of the late John Gagliardi, the longtime coaching legend at St. John's University.
