As a former student-athlete,
Calvin Freeman hopes he can have the same impact on his students that his
former golf coach had on him.
“Coach Bill Campbell set the
precedent for golf here,” said Freeman, the newly named head golf coach at
Southeast Community College. “I can’t overstate how much he did for me and the
program.”
Freeman replaces Campbell,
who spent 32 years at SCC in various coaching positions. During that time he
was head volleyball, basketball and golf coach and also taught physical
education. He said he leaves the College “with a smile.”
“I leave behind a 256-149
(63%) volleyball record, three-time NJCAA Division I women’s basketball “Coach
of the Year” and 15 straight trips to the NJCAA National Golf Tournament,” he
said. “Southeast has been good to me, and I have given my best.”
Freeman already is very
familiar with the Storm golf program. In addition to playing golf at SCC from
2011-2013, he also served as assistant golf coach to Campbell in 2014 and 2019.
“He recruited me as early as my
freshman year of high school,” Freeman recalled. “I could tell he really cared.
Since Beatrice was only 45 minutes from home (Table Rock), it was an easy
decision to come here.”
During his time as a Storm
golfer, Freeman made first-team NJCAA All-America honors both years, placing sixth
at nationals as a freshman and tying for second place as a sophomore. He then
transferred to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where he was a team captain
his senior year and led the team with a 74.94 stroke average. He also was an
honor roll student and earned his bachelor’s degree in history.
Following his time at UNL,
Freeman spent a few years playing professional golf on the Dakotas Tour, which
consists of 18 tournaments played in Minnesota, Iowa and North Dakota and South
Dakota, while spending the winters in Arizona.
“I had moderate success, and
the experience was great playing with people who are on the PGA tour, but it
got a little stressful,” he said. Freeman was ready to move on to the next
chapter of his career.
He always wanted to teach and
found a school where he could earn a graduate degree online. He recently
completed his Master of Science in Physical Education and Exercise Science from
the University of West Alabama. He was able to do this through the University
of Nebraska’s post-eligibility opportunities program for its athletes. Athletes
have up to three years from graduation to participate in the program.
Freeman is excited to be at SCC
and is excited about all the growth going on at the Beatrice Campus. New
residence halls, dining center, new classroom building and renovated student
center have rejuvenated the campus.
“The support is so good here
with the tutoring centers, and the students need to understand how much we’re
improving the campus,” he said. “I hope to carry on Campbell’s recruiting
success, build a team and help develop players who can eventually become Division
I players.”
Freeman’s team consists of
seven players, six of whom are his recruits. The team is diverse, with three
Nebraska natives, two international players and one who is 34 years old. Freeman’s
goals are to win the Region IX Tournament again and see consistent improvement.
“The team is very
self-motivated, and I am very enthusiastic about the golf talent,” he said.
“The sky’s the limit for these guys.”
The season officially begins
March 29-30 when the Storm plays in the Doane University Spring Invite in
Crete.