Retired DHS coach inducted into MFCA Hall of Fame

Coach Charlie Elmendorf ’76 poses with family, friends, and current DHS athletic department staff at his MFCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony on December 8. 

On Friday, December 8, retired Duchesne football coach and educator Charlie Elmendorf ’76 joined the ranks of other esteemed coaches when the Missouri Football Coaches Association (MFCA) inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Coach Elmendorf received the honor in front of friends and family at an induction ceremony held at Margaritaville Lake Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri.

Coach Elmendorf retired in 2022 after 27 years of coaching football at Duchesne — the longest coaching tenure in the history of the school’s football program. Career highlights include eight conference titles, eight district titles, eight state quarterfinal games, two state semifinal games, and the winningest football record with 164 wins. He also led the girls basketball program for 11 years, reaching the state semifinals in 2001, winning the state championship in 2003, and a state finals appearance in 2004. He was inducted into the St. Louis Metropolitan Football Coaches Association (SLMFCA) Hall of Fame in 2021.

“His induction into the [MFSA] Hall of Fame is a testimony to his successful 44 years coaching football,” said Duchesne Athletics Director Paul Boschert ’77. “It is a well-deserved honor for the most intense and competitive teammate I have ever played with and coached against.”

Inductees to the MFSA Hall of Fame must meet four criteria:

• A coach shall serve a minimum of 20 years as a head football coach in the state of Missouri.

• A coach shall have earned an exceptional win-loss record and district, conference, and state championships.

• A coach shall be an upstanding representative of his community and profession.

• A coach should be recognized as an active member of the MFCA.

Current members meet yearly and vote on the next “class.” Elmendorf was among 14 other individuals nominated this year.

Curtis Jasper, head football coach at Joplin High School, MFCA vice president and secretary for the Hall of Fame Committee, is a friend of Elmendorf and sponsored his nomination. The two met at Central Methodist University team camp in Fayette, Missouri, in the early 2000s, and Jasper has traced Elmendorf’s career since then.

“When guys like him make an impact, you always kind of follow their teams,” said Jasper. “I was happy to be there [that] night and watch him go in.”

“I am honored and blessed to have been inducted into the [SLMFCA] Hall of Fame in 2021 and the [MFCA] Hall of Fame this year,” said Elmendorf. “These incredible honors are because of the support of my family and all of the great people I have been influenced, guided, and inspired by throughout my life and career... without all of you, none of these honors would be possible.”