It is arguable that Dick Reynolds has not known any place in his lifetime better than the one he will be retiring from at Otterbein University.

In his 40 years here on campus, Reynolds has held the position of both Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach. He has touched so many lives and has set countless players up for success off of the court as well. Or as any student who’s had the opportunity to speak with coach Reynolds knows, he has been of help to many “young people.”

From practices, to games, to the recruiting trail, Reynolds has definitely put in the time here at this storied institution. But Saturday night was the end to a seamlessly never ending road for Reynolds’s storied coaching career.

Prior to the game, Reynolds was just as focused as if his team’s matchup versus the Wilmington Quakers was any other game.

“We need a win to get into the tournament,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds went on to express his disappointment in how the Cardinals record has fared this season.

“I thought last year, finishing at .500 would motivate us for this season. We’ve just been lacking a consistent performance this season.”

After skirting around the topic, Reynolds finally let loose regarding the emotion of the upcoming game Saturday night, of which would be his last regular season coaching experience in the Rike Center.

“That’s a moment after 40 years,” Reynolds noted. “Very few people are lucky to be here 40 years through the wins and losses, good and bad years.”

Furthermore, as I sat and spoke with Reynolds, I could tell there was more to his many years here at Otterbein than what he had mentioned. To which he elaborated reminiscing about how this campus has been his life and his family’s life for numerous years.

“It’s been a lifestyle for my family and I,” he stated. “The surroundings of this campus have been terrific over all these years.”

Of course Reynolds followed that up by noting that credit is due large in part to the “young people” throughout the many years he has walked the grounds of Otterbein University.

“Our young people have graduated in their own right,” Reynolds noted. “I’ve just been the educator to help them.”

So as the emotion of the game built up prior to Saturday night’s regular season men’s basketball finale, so did the emotions build up for family, friends, and returning players of Reynolds.

The Rike Center filled up quickly as fans filed in by the dozen almost an hour before tipoff, all of them in search of finding a seat or someplace to stand to witness the finale to this storied coaching career.

Following the senior night recognition of the dance team members, cheerleaders, and players, the pre-game recognition of Reynolds was underway.

He entered the court for the last time in a regular season home game, from the locker room through a tunnel filing from baseline to baseline with former players, family, and friends.

“During warm-ups, I’m looking down the end of the court thinking ‘Why aren’t we warming up properly’,” Reynolds said.”

As the warm-up clock winded down, Reynolds was naturally presented with a plaque and an emblem which read “Reynolds Court.” This an insignia which will be added to the Rike Center floor, from here on out making the basketball court a permanent recognition of Reynolds’s accomplishments.

“Yes, I’m quite overwhelmed,” Reynolds stated. “I certainly would like to thank the Board of Trustees here at Otterbein for that.”

The game tipped off and the Cards went back and forth scoring wise with the Quakers for the majority of the first half, only to find themselves trailing by four points at halftime.

Coming into the second half, it was much of the same on both sides, not much to impress with on the defensive end, and certainly not much to impress within the ball handling and rebounding department. Otterbein turned the ball over 19 times in the game, but out rebounded Wilmington 41 to 18.

So as time counted down in the final half, of the final home regular season game of coach Dick Reynolds’s career, the Cardinals were trying to maintain the lead. Reynolds in turn was trying to maintain his emotions as he paced the sidelines strategizing how to push his team into the postseason.

Time continued to tick down as the Cardinals took the lead for good thanks to a basket in the lane, with 20 seconds left, by senior post player Chris Davis.

The horn sounded to end the game as the Otterbein students rushed the floor to celebrate a post season berth as well as a victory for Coach Dick Reynolds (No. 651), something he is not foreign to.
Davis summed up the game in his own words, giving credit where it was certainly due.

“It was a great environment tonight,” Davis said. “I kind of wish every home game would be like this. But it shows tribute to what Coach Reynolds has done over the last 40 years.”

Reynolds noted the same type of experience Saturday night on “Reynolds Court.”

“Our players got a taste of what the Rike used to be like,” Reynolds noted. “The athletes who came through here made it that way.”

During Reynolds’s post-game press conference, he was visibly coming down from the emotion and hype of the night’s events. He sat behind the mic at the table accompanied by his two stars from the game, junior Zach Bakenhaster and senior Chris Davis.

“The whole purpose was to play again,” Reynolds stated. “It’s tournament time now! The object is always to win, not because it’s my last game or whatever, we needed to win to get in the tournament.”

Following this was an array of questions from local news reporters, as they tried to get just a glimpse of what Reynolds was feeling after not only his final home regular season game, but also his team sneaking into the OAC Tournament.

“This is my life, this is my family’s life,” Reynolds stated. “Someone once said it wasn’t so much me winning 600 games here, it’s that I did it all in one place. It is something you cherish.”

When asked about what he will miss most about Otterbein upon his retirement, he made sure to express his true passion, which is the “young people.”

“I will miss the university, the young people. They are aggravating sometimes, but I’m sure they think the same of me at times.”

So looking back, what will Reynolds be remembered for? The Division III National Championship he brought to then Otterbein College? How about the 650 wins he accomplished? Chris Davis has his own thoughts on how Reynolds will be remembered.

“Coach’s motto is, ‘speak up and shut-up,’ He teaches you the basics of basketball, but more importantly how to be the right person outside of here.”