Delbert Genereau

Delbert Genereau
Minnesota Legend Del Genereau

Delbert Eugene Genereau (1919-1988) was a renowned hockey coach in Minnesota in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Genereau was inducted into the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame posthumously in 2003. With a record of 72-36, his winning percentage of 67% places him in the top 30 winningest coaches of all time, according to United States College Hockey Online.

Born November 19, 1919, Genereau grew up playing hockey in Canada and his native Duluth, Minnesota. From 1958 to 1968, as Head Coach of Duluth Cathedral High School, his dominating teams consistently packed arenas across the state en route to five state championships. Described as a "coaching legend," who encouraged his players to be "good, decent men," he was inducted into the Hilltopper Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. (Source: Hilltopper, Autumn 2003)

In 1972, Genereau started the hockey program at the College of Saint Scholastica and compiled a 19-5-2 record his first year as Head Coach, while simultaneously serving as Athletic Director. Within 3 years, his team had won its first of two national NAIA championships. Genereau was described as a "role model" who "taught me the value of giving back" by former player Tom Cartier (Source: Duluth Budgeteer News, Feb. 13, 2004). After Genereau left, Scholastica hockey was never the same. In the 30 years since Genereau left, the team has compiled just 6 winning seasons, the last in 1985. At one point, he turned down a job offer to coach the University of Notre Dame hockey team because he did not want to relocate. Instead, he returned to his roots at Duluth Cathedral High School (now the Marshall School) for a final stint as Head Coach from 1977-1979. Perhaps most impressively, Genereau accomplished his hockey feats while simultaneously building and transforming the real estate market in Duluth, Minnesota. Genereau was President of Olafson Genereau Realty, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2004, for three decades until his retirement in 1987. He died on June 27, 1988 at the age of 68.


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