DARLINGTON - The stories that longtime Darlington Cross Country Coach Arnie Miehe tells are the stuff of what great sports movies are made. With goosebumps on his arms and his eyes filled with tears, he's come within seconds of earning and losing state championships - watching the best and worst moments for his athletes, students and even his own children.
But the championships and individual accolades he's earned aren't where he takes most of his pride. Instead, it's in the people they become once they leave his program - he hopes he's instilled a sense of inner pride in each of them no matter what their future brings and that they walk away knowing they gave it their all.
Whether he's coaching, teaching or being a father, Miehe has spent his days intertwined in the lives of his students, children and athletes. The memorable, enthusiastic coach hopes he's made a difference in some way to each of them.
He was born in Dubuque, Iowa, but the family soon moved to a dairy farm in Belmont. Miehe was among three girls and three boys and said his siblings were a big part of what he refers to as a "fantastic childhood."
They milked about 70 cows, and Miehe had regular chores but also found fun. He played in the barn, rode the pony and often fished in a nearby creek. He said he wouldn't trade his childhood on the farm for anything.
"The stuff we got to do and experience was incredible," he said. "We learned discipline, work, pride - all subtle things that, as a kid, you have no perception of."
By the time he was in eighth grade, Miehe was noticed as a runner. The coach arranged for him to race against the high school mile runner, and he won.
"That was a big deal for me," Miehe said. "I became 'Arnie the runner.'"
Miehe attended Belmont High School where he was an honor roll student. He took on band for a while but found his niche in sports - football, basketball and track.
Miehe was the starting quarterback on the football team and didn't participate in cross country, but he did go to state in track as a freshman, junior and senior in the 2-mile event.
Cross county was something he thought a lot about, however, and after football practice Miehe would run. He talked his track coach into securing him a spot in an invitational cross country meet in Platteville.
Miehe had to convince his father to let him go but eventually showed up to his first cross country meet with no coach and no idea how they operated. As he worked his way into second place, he had no idea where the course was going.
Not only did he win the meet - but he broke the course record.
"That was the beginning of me being confident in my abilities and who I am," Miehe said.
Although he knew he was good at running, he didn't love it at that time. Success was different than being immersed and enjoying it, and that was clear to him.
"That shaped me and my coaching," Miehe said. "I teach kids to be proud and take pride in what you do. I was proud but never looked at the inner pride of my accomplishments."
The 1973 graduate of Belmont High School attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he played football for a year. Once off the high school cross country team, Miehe started running again in college and fell in love with it.
Miehe ran track at UW-Platteville for four years and in his second year joined the cross country team as well, participating for three years. He said he never saw any big success during college but greatly enjoyed the team.
Miehe never wavered on a career goal to teach. He said he had an interest in health and physical education despite knowing landing a job would be difficult. He made the decision to change his attitude instead of his major.
After graduation from UWP in 1979, Miehe was student teaching in Darlington. He began substitute teaching there when he learned the physical education and history teacher resigned.
Miehe stepped in without hesitation - and has been there ever since.
"There it was," he said. "It just fell into my lap. It really had such a major impact on my life."
By the fall of 1980, Miehe was teaching and coaching full time in Darlington. He taught health to high schoolers in the mornings and then had gym classes with elementary students in the afternoons.
"There was no better job in the world," he said.
He talked on a personal level with high school seniors - holding open discussions about life and their future. He said he loved the way he could impact some of their decisions in conversation.
His switch to elementary students in the afternoons wasn't taken lightly. Miehe would periodically show up as his alias cousin, Norman P. Nerd, with pencils in his pocket, a Band-Aid holding his glasses together and delivering "dad jokes." The children - and Miehe - adored the playful banter.
"I still love going to that elementary school," Miehe said with a smile. "That's very much a part of me."
Teaching the array of ages when he was so young also made an impact on him as he became a father. He said he learned the importance quickly of having a healthy, happy and secure childhood.
Later in his career, Miehe worked alongside past students who became teachers - and many would share memories of him. One often tells how when she ran into a wall in gym class and was crying, Miehe went to get a Band-Aid - and then placed it on the wall.
"Kids need to learn that they can get through stuff," Miehe laughed. "If we don't let them struggle, they'll never realize they can get through it."
Coaching in Darlington started immediately, first with football and track. His sights were set early on to take on cross country, and he did in 1982. He's now in his 39th year of coaching track and his 37th year coaching cross country.
He was young and put his heart and soul into the sport but was also fortunate to have talented athletes, he said. The program grew quickly and Miehe saw early success, wondering if it would fizzle out. His third year was the first time they went to state as a team - and the first time the school had been to state in any sport. In 1985-86, they brought home their first state championship.
He's had runners overcome injuries and take on 5 inches of snow. He's shared laughter and tears. The way the cards have aligned to bring his family into his coaching success has been a blessing. His assistant coach, Ann, eventually became his wife.
He's gone from anger to euphoria numerous times during the same race and back again. When he learned his son, Tyson, took first in the state meet along with the team, it was a roller coaster of emotions after not seeing him in the first or second group - Miehe had no idea Tyson was winning.
"You have to pinch yourself once in a while and I haven't not realized how fortunate I've been," Miehe said.
Some of the most difficult times have been comforting his own children. As both a father and a coach, he's tried to find his place. Sharing their successes on such a personal level has been one of the most rewarding things for him.
"There are times when kids need a coach and when kids need a dad," Miehe said. "When you're both - they're missing something."
He feels fortunate to have had his children interested in the sport he loves - and they have seemingly taken after their parents. Ann was the first female cross country runner in Darlington's history and held all six district records.
"If they did other things, I think I would have felt pulled from them," he said. "I'm not sure I would have continued coaching."
He's coached teams that have earned nine state cross country titles, eight for boys and one for girls. His teams have also been state runners-up six times. But the hardware is null compared to the memories and stories that have accompanied them.
Miehe has had to find balance as a coach to validate the feelings during years when the boys have taken championship titles and the girls have lost by thin margins. It hasn't always been easy.
"Happiness is the difference between what you expect and what you get," he said.
In 2005, Miehe was inducted into the National Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame and in 2015, he was named the National Coach of the Year after being named the State Coach of the Year. In 2017, Miehe earned the Distinguished Alumni Award from UW-Platteville.
He said his success involves the hands of many - including parents, families and athletes - but especially his wife.
"I couldn't have done any of this without (Ann's) support," he said.
After nearly four decades of coaching, Miehe said he isn't sure how long he'll stay but he eventually plans to pass the torch to someone who's excited about all he's leaving behind.
Miehe has also taken it upon himself to instill some values into his athletes and hopes to make them more service-minded. He started Run Across Wisconsin in conjunction with Relay For Life where a group relays a baton from Lake Michigan to Monroe. On the baton are the handwritten names from the team of those touched by cancer. They've raised more than $25,000 for Relay For Life.
For several years before meets, Miehe took his runners to the manor in Darlington where they pushed residents in wheelchairs.
"I wanted them to understand how fortunate they are to get to do what they do," Miehe said. "I ask them, 'Do you know how much these people would give to do what you're doing right now?'"
His goal is to make his athletes better people by the time they leave his program. When the seniors speak at the banquet and say what cross country has meant to them - he said he tunes in.
"I want to hear that impact," he said. "That's where it's at for me."
He's been retired from teaching since 2014, but for the last two years Miehe has worked as an at-risk teacher in Darlington. The couple live on Ann's family farm and have always had a hand in some farm duties. He enjoys hunting and fishing and hopes eventually to travel more. He enjoys history and antiques and said he has more interests than he would ever have time to keep up with.
A project he's proud of has been "Windows of Faith" where he researched the family histories of names on plaques beneath the United Methodist Church windows in Darlington and put what he found into a book. He taught Sunday school at the church for 25 years.
Family connections are important to Miehe, and he enjoys spending time with his four children. Tyson currently runs cross country for the Badgers, and Miehe loves to watch.
Although Miehe is full of inspirational quotes, his favorite is one of his own. It's one that he said makes people question why they do the things they do - and hopefully makes them think about the difference they're making in their own lives and the lives of others.
"Pride motivates quality people," he concluded.
But the championships and individual accolades he's earned aren't where he takes most of his pride. Instead, it's in the people they become once they leave his program - he hopes he's instilled a sense of inner pride in each of them no matter what their future brings and that they walk away knowing they gave it their all.
Whether he's coaching, teaching or being a father, Miehe has spent his days intertwined in the lives of his students, children and athletes. The memorable, enthusiastic coach hopes he's made a difference in some way to each of them.
He was born in Dubuque, Iowa, but the family soon moved to a dairy farm in Belmont. Miehe was among three girls and three boys and said his siblings were a big part of what he refers to as a "fantastic childhood."
They milked about 70 cows, and Miehe had regular chores but also found fun. He played in the barn, rode the pony and often fished in a nearby creek. He said he wouldn't trade his childhood on the farm for anything.
"The stuff we got to do and experience was incredible," he said. "We learned discipline, work, pride - all subtle things that, as a kid, you have no perception of."
By the time he was in eighth grade, Miehe was noticed as a runner. The coach arranged for him to race against the high school mile runner, and he won.
"That was a big deal for me," Miehe said. "I became 'Arnie the runner.'"
Miehe attended Belmont High School where he was an honor roll student. He took on band for a while but found his niche in sports - football, basketball and track.
Miehe was the starting quarterback on the football team and didn't participate in cross country, but he did go to state in track as a freshman, junior and senior in the 2-mile event.
Cross county was something he thought a lot about, however, and after football practice Miehe would run. He talked his track coach into securing him a spot in an invitational cross country meet in Platteville.
Miehe had to convince his father to let him go but eventually showed up to his first cross country meet with no coach and no idea how they operated. As he worked his way into second place, he had no idea where the course was going.
Not only did he win the meet - but he broke the course record.
"That was the beginning of me being confident in my abilities and who I am," Miehe said.
Although he knew he was good at running, he didn't love it at that time. Success was different than being immersed and enjoying it, and that was clear to him.
"That shaped me and my coaching," Miehe said. "I teach kids to be proud and take pride in what you do. I was proud but never looked at the inner pride of my accomplishments."
The 1973 graduate of Belmont High School attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he played football for a year. Once off the high school cross country team, Miehe started running again in college and fell in love with it.
Miehe ran track at UW-Platteville for four years and in his second year joined the cross country team as well, participating for three years. He said he never saw any big success during college but greatly enjoyed the team.
Miehe never wavered on a career goal to teach. He said he had an interest in health and physical education despite knowing landing a job would be difficult. He made the decision to change his attitude instead of his major.
After graduation from UWP in 1979, Miehe was student teaching in Darlington. He began substitute teaching there when he learned the physical education and history teacher resigned.
Miehe stepped in without hesitation - and has been there ever since.
"There it was," he said. "It just fell into my lap. It really had such a major impact on my life."
By the fall of 1980, Miehe was teaching and coaching full time in Darlington. He taught health to high schoolers in the mornings and then had gym classes with elementary students in the afternoons.
"There was no better job in the world," he said.
He talked on a personal level with high school seniors - holding open discussions about life and their future. He said he loved the way he could impact some of their decisions in conversation.
His switch to elementary students in the afternoons wasn't taken lightly. Miehe would periodically show up as his alias cousin, Norman P. Nerd, with pencils in his pocket, a Band-Aid holding his glasses together and delivering "dad jokes." The children - and Miehe - adored the playful banter.
"I still love going to that elementary school," Miehe said with a smile. "That's very much a part of me."
Teaching the array of ages when he was so young also made an impact on him as he became a father. He said he learned the importance quickly of having a healthy, happy and secure childhood.
Later in his career, Miehe worked alongside past students who became teachers - and many would share memories of him. One often tells how when she ran into a wall in gym class and was crying, Miehe went to get a Band-Aid - and then placed it on the wall.
"Kids need to learn that they can get through stuff," Miehe laughed. "If we don't let them struggle, they'll never realize they can get through it."
Coaching in Darlington started immediately, first with football and track. His sights were set early on to take on cross country, and he did in 1982. He's now in his 39th year of coaching track and his 37th year coaching cross country.
He was young and put his heart and soul into the sport but was also fortunate to have talented athletes, he said. The program grew quickly and Miehe saw early success, wondering if it would fizzle out. His third year was the first time they went to state as a team - and the first time the school had been to state in any sport. In 1985-86, they brought home their first state championship.
He's had runners overcome injuries and take on 5 inches of snow. He's shared laughter and tears. The way the cards have aligned to bring his family into his coaching success has been a blessing. His assistant coach, Ann, eventually became his wife.
He's gone from anger to euphoria numerous times during the same race and back again. When he learned his son, Tyson, took first in the state meet along with the team, it was a roller coaster of emotions after not seeing him in the first or second group - Miehe had no idea Tyson was winning.
"You have to pinch yourself once in a while and I haven't not realized how fortunate I've been," Miehe said.
Some of the most difficult times have been comforting his own children. As both a father and a coach, he's tried to find his place. Sharing their successes on such a personal level has been one of the most rewarding things for him.
"There are times when kids need a coach and when kids need a dad," Miehe said. "When you're both - they're missing something."
He feels fortunate to have had his children interested in the sport he loves - and they have seemingly taken after their parents. Ann was the first female cross country runner in Darlington's history and held all six district records.
"If they did other things, I think I would have felt pulled from them," he said. "I'm not sure I would have continued coaching."
He's coached teams that have earned nine state cross country titles, eight for boys and one for girls. His teams have also been state runners-up six times. But the hardware is null compared to the memories and stories that have accompanied them.
Miehe has had to find balance as a coach to validate the feelings during years when the boys have taken championship titles and the girls have lost by thin margins. It hasn't always been easy.
"Happiness is the difference between what you expect and what you get," he said.
In 2005, Miehe was inducted into the National Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame and in 2015, he was named the National Coach of the Year after being named the State Coach of the Year. In 2017, Miehe earned the Distinguished Alumni Award from UW-Platteville.
He said his success involves the hands of many - including parents, families and athletes - but especially his wife.
"I couldn't have done any of this without (Ann's) support," he said.
After nearly four decades of coaching, Miehe said he isn't sure how long he'll stay but he eventually plans to pass the torch to someone who's excited about all he's leaving behind.
Miehe has also taken it upon himself to instill some values into his athletes and hopes to make them more service-minded. He started Run Across Wisconsin in conjunction with Relay For Life where a group relays a baton from Lake Michigan to Monroe. On the baton are the handwritten names from the team of those touched by cancer. They've raised more than $25,000 for Relay For Life.
For several years before meets, Miehe took his runners to the manor in Darlington where they pushed residents in wheelchairs.
"I wanted them to understand how fortunate they are to get to do what they do," Miehe said. "I ask them, 'Do you know how much these people would give to do what you're doing right now?'"
His goal is to make his athletes better people by the time they leave his program. When the seniors speak at the banquet and say what cross country has meant to them - he said he tunes in.
"I want to hear that impact," he said. "That's where it's at for me."
He's been retired from teaching since 2014, but for the last two years Miehe has worked as an at-risk teacher in Darlington. The couple live on Ann's family farm and have always had a hand in some farm duties. He enjoys hunting and fishing and hopes eventually to travel more. He enjoys history and antiques and said he has more interests than he would ever have time to keep up with.
A project he's proud of has been "Windows of Faith" where he researched the family histories of names on plaques beneath the United Methodist Church windows in Darlington and put what he found into a book. He taught Sunday school at the church for 25 years.
Family connections are important to Miehe, and he enjoys spending time with his four children. Tyson currently runs cross country for the Badgers, and Miehe loves to watch.
Although Miehe is full of inspirational quotes, his favorite is one of his own. It's one that he said makes people question why they do the things they do - and hopefully makes them think about the difference they're making in their own lives and the lives of others.
"Pride motivates quality people," he concluded.
