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MARYVILLE, MO. —
“It was devastating.”
Those were the words used by Pittsburg State head football coach Tim Beck when he learned of the death of Northwest Missouri State head football coach Scott Bostwick on Sunday.
According to Northwest officials, Bostwick died Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack at his home in Maryville, Mo.
Coaches around the MIAA reacted with shock over the passing of the newly-appointed Bearcat head coach at the age of 49.
“I was just sick for a while and I couldn’t hardly believe that it was a possibility,” Beck said Monday.
Bostwick was in the seventh month of his appointment as head coach of Northwest after serving as its defensive coordinator since 1994.
Over those years, his defense and Beck’s Pitt State offense went through numerous battles on the field.
“We were all very competitive, but we did get to the point where we were asking how each other’s families were doing,” Beck said. “We got to where we really looked forward to seeing each other before a game to see how things were going.”
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig said that he last saw Bostwick at the MIAA football coaches meeting two weeks ago.
“He was just like he always was ... full of energy and very positive,” Schurig said.
Schurig first met Bostwick when Schurig was on staff at Pitt State as an assistant coach and Bostwick was just starting his duties at Northwest.
Bostwick was a relative outsider to MIAA football after coming to Maryville from Western Washington and was the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Nebraska Wesleyan from 1986 to 1990.
“He was just a very friendly and outgoing coach and you could tell that he really enjoyed the players,” Schurig said.
But, even two weeks ago, other coaches in the league recognized the “same old Scott.”
“He was very down to Earth and cared about people. He was one of those guys that was very demanding of his players, but cared very deeply about his players and family,” Beck said.
During his collegiate career at Nebraska Wesleyan, Bostwick was a four-year letterwinner and was All-Conference and All-District. In October 2006 he was inducted into the Nebraska Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame and still stands as the program’s third-leading tackler.
While at Northwest, Bostwick was part of a staff that led the Bearcats to 12 MIAA championships and three Division II championships. In 2007, he was named the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
“It was devastating.”
Those were the words used by Pittsburg State head football coach Tim Beck when he learned of the death of Northwest Missouri State head football coach Scott Bostwick on Sunday.
According to Northwest officials, Bostwick died Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack at his home in Maryville, Mo.
Coaches around the MIAA reacted with shock over the passing of the newly-appointed Bearcat head coach at the age of 49.
“I was just sick for a while and I couldn’t hardly believe that it was a possibility,” Beck said Monday.
Bostwick was in the seventh month of his appointment as head coach of Northwest after serving as its defensive coordinator since 1994.
Over those years, his defense and Beck’s Pitt State offense went through numerous battles on the field.
“We were all very competitive, but we did get to the point where we were asking how each other’s families were doing,” Beck said. “We got to where we really looked forward to seeing each other before a game to see how things were going.”
Washburn head football coach Craig Schurig said that he last saw Bostwick at the MIAA football coaches meeting two weeks ago.
“He was just like he always was ... full of energy and very positive,” Schurig said.
Schurig first met Bostwick when Schurig was on staff at Pitt State as an assistant coach and Bostwick was just starting his duties at Northwest.
Bostwick was a relative outsider to MIAA football after coming to Maryville from Western Washington and was the defensive coordinator at his alma mater, Nebraska Wesleyan from 1986 to 1990.
“He was just a very friendly and outgoing coach and you could tell that he really enjoyed the players,” Schurig said.
But, even two weeks ago, other coaches in the league recognized the “same old Scott.”
“He was very down to Earth and cared about people. He was one of those guys that was very demanding of his players, but cared very deeply about his players and family,” Beck said.
During his collegiate career at Nebraska Wesleyan, Bostwick was a four-year letterwinner and was All-Conference and All-District. In October 2006 he was inducted into the Nebraska Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame and still stands as the program’s third-leading tackler.
While at Northwest, Bostwick was part of a staff that led the Bearcats to 12 MIAA championships and three Division II championships. In 2007, he was named the AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year.
Over the past five seasons, the Bearcats led the league in scoring defense and in total defense in two of the last three seasons.
He was named the 18th head coach in the history of Northwest Missouri in December 2010, following the retirement of longtime head coach Mel Tjeerdsma.
“For Scott, it was a job that was a dream for him,” Schurig said. “It’s really sad in that regard that he achieved it but didn’t really get to enjoy it.”
Bostwick is survived by his wife, Sue and their two children, Leah and Eric. Funeral arrangements for Bostwick have not been announced.
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 132.
