Name –
Terry Watkins
UW-Stout graduation year – 1973
Major – Manufacturing Engineering     Â
Sport – Hockey
Years Played – 1969-73
Hometown (High School) – Cretin High School (St. Paul, MN)
Currently Resides – Menomonie, WI
Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?
I chose to come to UW-Stout because they offered Manufacturing Engineering as a major. I still wanted to play after high school and wanted to compete at the next level. I did spend a lot of time in Menomonie during my high school years. My two brothers were students at UW-Stout so I was familiar with the campus and community. I knew that it would be a good fit for me academically and athletically.
What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics?
I enjoyed the camaraderie of being part of a team and competing with friends. Over the years, I have made lifelong friendships that I still cherish to this day.
What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete?
The greatest lesson I have learned is the importance of being a good teammate and working hard to be a good team player. On and off the ice, it is important to put what is best for the team in front of what is always best for you. This can translated into everyday life and is something I truly feel passionate about.
Who was the most influential person in your athletic career?
There was not one person that has been the most influential. I have had a lot of good coaches throughout my career. Each one of my coaches has given me valuable advice that applied to athletics and my life after competing as a collegiate athlete.
What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout?
Playing: The most memorable part about playing at UW-Stout was not prize at the end but the fun, sweat and experiences that I had along the way. The journey and the time spent with my teammates were very rewarding.
Coaching Hockey: The greatest memory that I have in coaching hockey is when we got to the Frozen Four in 2008-9. Reaching that milestone and walking through the history of Lake Placid was really fun. I knew some of the guys that played on the 1980 Olympic team and sharing that experience with the student-athletes is something I will never forget.
Coaching Golf: Along with getting to nationals in hockey, the golf team has gone to three national tournaments ('09, '10, '11). Each one of the golf venues was as remarkable as Lake Placid. It has been great to see the success of these student-athletes in both hockey and golf.
How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete?
I am deciding not to answer this question but allowing the athletic department to speak with follow line-mate and UW-Stout Hall-of-Famer, Glenn La Chappelle.
The athletic department spoke with La Chappelle and this is what he had to say.
"As a fellow student-athlete, nobody worked harder and nobody tried to achieve more than Terry. He was and is a big team driven guy that had to make a lot of sacrifices, such as being a father, husband, student, and still play a high level of hockey. I don't know how he could tie all of that together but he was driven and made it work. Terry was always the first to raise his hand to help out around the rink and we couldn't ask for a better teammate. He set the bar high for the whole team."
Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes? (If so, who?)
I am fortunate to not only have played here but also coaching here has allowed me to stay in contact with so many former Stout student-athletes. I have met up with a lot of them at golf outings and fundraisers. Fortunately, my job allows for me to stay in contact with them.
Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout?
 I was in a fraternity.
Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?
This bio was taken from the UW-Stout athletic website: "Watkins is in his 18th year as the Blue Devils' head varsity hockey coach and coached the club team for eight years. Before that, he was an assistant coach for the Stout team and also was an assistant coach at Menomonie High School. Watkins is a two-time WIAC coach of the year, and his teams have won an NCHA and a WIAC title. The team twice advanced to the NCAA men's hockey tournament. Watkins is in his eighth season as the UW-Stout men's golf coach, a program he started from scratch and three times took the team to the NCAA Division III men's golf championships, coaching three All-Americans. In addition to his coaching career, Watkins also put his UW-Stout degree to work, working in the aerospace industry as a sales and designer engineer. Watkins, and his wife Doreen, a former Stout athletic department administrative assistant, have three adult children, Jeff, Todd and Kelly, and four grandchildren. Terry said, 'I think the choice of coming to Stout was a great decision. I have been able to have a great job with my major and fortunate enough to come back and coach at the place that I played for so many years.'"
You have coached in 700 hockey games, what does that mean to you?
Whenever you have that many it just means that you have survived and you are getting old. It has been special because of all of the kids that I have been fortunate enough to coach and meet. I have a great connection with all a large number of alumni.
You played in the first intercollegiate hockey game at UW-Stout, but for the other team, talk about that.
I was on a juniors team and we played out of Minneapolis. We came over to Stout and I ended up playing against my two brothers in 1969. The year after that I came to UW-Stout because I saw the atmosphere and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I have been around Stout hockey ever since.
