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Dakota State University golf prodigy
May 24, 2012
MADISON, S.D. - Maureen (Green) Casey's passion for outdoor activities like biking and fast-pitch softball was topped only by her passion for golf. Her golfing talents proved to be a real bonus for Dakota State's women's golf team in 1982 when she and her teammates took third-place honors at the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Golf tournament in Wilmington, North Carolina. Casey placed sixth on the individual leader board earning her All-American honors.
On June 2, 2012, Casey will be inducted posthumously into the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame. Others being inducted include Dan Stratton, Dawn (Gaffney) Dittman and the 1999-2000 Lady T's basketball team.
Prior to her college career, Casey was the top golfer for the Madison Bulldogs golf team in the late 1970's. She was a 'Top 20' State Tournament player from 1976-1979. As a result of her stellar her high school career, Casey earned induction into the Madison High School Hall of Fame in 2003. In addition to lettering in golf, Casey also lettered in basketball.
Casey was recruited to participate in golf at the University of South Dakota (USD) in Vermillion where she qualified for the AIAW National Tournament as a freshman. However, she decided to transfer to Dakota State. While women's golf was not an organized sport at DSU in 1981, Maureen, Maureen's sister Alice, Mary T. Grogan, Sara Egan, and Jane Rajewich joined together and became the women's golf team.
"I became the team's coach on a volunteer basis," said Madison resident Rick Sterling, who coached the squad. "At the time, there were no other colleges our size in South Dakota competing in tournaments, so we ended up playing against bigger schools like USD, South Dakota State University, and Augustana (S.D.)." Sterling pointed out that Casey was a petite-sized golfer, but that did not hamper her playing abilities. "She had in her bag seven different woods," said Sterling. "She knew the distance she could get from every one of her clubs and she hit the ball straight almost every time. Maureen was an outstanding individual and a very humble person. Her humility and competitiveness came naturally."
Casey became a top-flight golfer, leading her team to a first-place win in the AIAW Region Six Tournament in North Dakota which qualified the team for the AIAW Nationals in Wilmington, N.C., in May of 1982. Wilmington University, host of the national tournament, won the championship and Casey's sixth-place finish was the result of a sudden death playoff loss, but still earning her All-American status.
Casey grew up with two brothers – John and Larry Jr., and ten (yes, ten) sisters – Alice, Jacque, Mary Ellen, Carolyn, Catherine, Margaret, Jeannie, Liz, Roberta and Theresa. "Maureen and the rest of the Green children were given the opportunity to play golf early on by their parents – Larry Sr. and Jeannie," said Madison PGA professional Gordy Anderson. "They were on the Madison Country Club course a lot growing up. Their dad would have them play games within the game, like best scores on individual holes and closest to the pin."
In 1982, Maureen earned her associate's degree in Computer Science and married Mike Casey from Chamberlain. The couple moved to Sioux Falls and then in 1983 Maureen received her Bachelor's degree from Augustana.
Later, the Caseys' moved from Minnesota to Arizona and as a member of the Aspen Valley Country Club at Flagstaff, Maureen was a three-time club champion, winning her last title in 2007. Although, she loved golf, Maureen's husband, Mike, their three sons – Joseph, Connor and John Patrick – and her daughter-in-law Katie and grandson Aiden, were the loves of her life and dominated her time after her career. She retired in 2007 from a security information specialist position at Discount Tires. Maureen's immediate family lives in and around Scottsdale, Ariz.
For further information and so that we may plan appropriately for the banquet, please RSVP by contacting the Athletic Department at 605-256-5229 or e-mail carla.sudenga@dsu.edu. Tickets are $14 per person and may be purchased at the door. The social begins at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served at 6:15 p.m. The program will begin at approximately 7 p.m. The event is open to the public.
Dan Holsworth, Dakota State University Athletics Assistant
Edited by Nick Huntimer, Dakota State University Sports Information Director
