This story first appeared in the March 2018 edition of The Hilltop.
Director of Athletics, Greg Eide, finished his last month at Corban on March 23 before heading into retirement.
“Retiring to me just means hitting the reset button and slowing down a little at this stage and finding another passion,” he said. “It will provide me the opportunity to continue to impact people’s lives but with a little more time, freedom and flexibility.”
Eide joined Corban in 2013 and has spearheaded major improvements and advancements for the athletics department by combining his knowledge of business and his passion for university sports. Eide said that President Sheldon Nord reached out to him to consider taking the position. He made a commitment to Nord to be at Corban for 3 to 5 years, and would bring Warrior Athletics to the next level.
“I felt this is what the Lord had in store for me,” Eide said.
The conclusion of those five years coincides with his wife, Debbie’s retirement from teaching and the birth of their first grandchild.
Eide hopes to have more time with his family in his retirement.
When Eide came to Corban, his goal was to positively impact the community.
“I wanted to continue doing what I had been doing my entire life — pursue excellence,” he said. “It felt important to create programs that had healthy cultures that would create positive, long-term, lifetime memories for our student athletes that would be competitive and at the same time honor the Lord and represent Corban well.”
Eide has touched the lives of staff and students who have interacted with him.
“I knew of him, since I’ve been here at Corban for a number of years,” Susan Roth, senior athletics administrator said. “He asked me to join this department and we conversed on how this could work out, and it wasn’t until last year that it did.”
Roth believes that Eide was fundamental in improving the athletic program.
“He brought Corban from an athletically mediocre department to one that was all about the experience, all it could be for student athletes,” she said. “He has done an amazing job of bringing the athletic program into a program of excellence.”
Athletes have personally benefited from Eide’s leadership.
“His love for sports is intense, and it can be seen in how he runs the office and how supportive he has been of the various sport codes we have here at Corban,” soccer player Annouscka Kordom said. “He will surely be missed both in the office and the gym, or out at the field somewhere. I wish him the best in all his endeavors after retirement.”
Apart from him being an encourager to the various teams, he has worked hands-on in helping set up fields when need be.
“Greg has been a huge supporter of the softball program,” Naomi Harris, member of the softball team, said. “He has worked with us to get our field looking good and risked his life to put up banners around our field. He will be greatly missed.”
Roth explained how supportive Eide has been to each team, recounting the time when Eide took every team to Mills City, his hometown, and told them his personal story about his relationship with God and athletics.
“He connected with every team by trying his best to be at every game and be engaged with each team,” Roth said.
In 2016-17, he was named the Athletic Director of the Year by the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
“It was nice to receive the recognition from my peers in the CCC,” Eide said. “But in my mind, it was a team award to be shared with our outstanding coaches, athletes and athletic staff. I have been blessed to have outstanding people around me.”
“From a competitive standpoint, we’ve never been stronger, and from an academic standpoint, our student-athletes are excelling in the classroom,” Eide said as originally reported in a Corban Athletics press release. “Most importantly, we have a healthy culture in each of our programs that models a pursuit of excellence in a manner that honors the Lord.”
President Sheldon Nord thanked Eide in a school-wide email: “I am very grateful for [Eide’s] contribution in shaping Warrior Athletics at the leadership level, building and strengthening our athletic programs and positivity influencing our students’ lives,” Nord said.
“This hasn’t been just a job,” Eide said. “It has been a very fun journey building relationships and memories through athletics. Thanks to all who had a part in making this such a time in my life.”
