Dr. Frank “Doc” Dinka Memorial Men’s Soccer Scholarship Established At Missouri State

Greetings,
I am pleased to announce an endowed scholarship has recently been established in honor of Dr. Frank “Doc” Dinka, who established the soccer program and became the first soccer coach at Missouri State University. Jan Stahle (former MSU coach), Dr. Bill O’Neill (former MSU Associate AD), and myself recently visited with Mrs. Sally Dinka (Frank’s wife) and shared the news. Mrs. Dinka could not have been more receptive and felt her late husband would have been honored to see this take place.

I want to personally thank Bill Rowe, Jan Stahle and Bill O’Neill for their assistance and dedication in making this endowment a reality. The Dr. Frank “Doc” Dinka Memorial Men’s Soccer Scholarship was established with an initial gift of $5,000. When the endowment reaches $10,000, it will continue to grow and provide scholarship assistance for the Men’s Soccer Program on an annual basis. The establishment of this endowment will be an everlasting tribute to Dr. Dinka’s contribution to Men’s Soccer at Missouri State University. If you are interested in contributing to the scholarship, the information is noted below. Please feel free to include any notes, thoughts or memories which will be forwarded to Mrs. Dinka. I know she would enjoy reading them.

A brief summary regarding Dr. Dinka:

Dr. Frank Dinka started the Soccer Club at Missouri State in 1967 and realized his dream of making soccer an intercollegiate sport at the University in 1981. He was the Bears’ first men’s soccer coach, a post he held for six seasons from 1981-86. A widely-popular member of the Political Science Department at MSU from 1961 until 1991, Dinka is known as the Godfather of Soccer in the Ozarks for his commitment to establishing programs and developing the sport in the Springfield region. Before passing away in 2005 at the age of 80, Dr. Dinka touched the lives of thousands of Missouri State students and is the cornerstone figure in the history of the Bears soccer programs.

Donations to the Dr. Frank “Doc” Dinka Memorial Men’s Soccer Scholarship

Checks can be made out to: “The Missouri State University Foundation” and mailed to:

Missouri State University
Attention Men’s Soccer
901 South National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65897

Or please contact the Missouri State University Development Office at (417) 836-4143 to make a donation using a credit card. Please refer to the Dr. Frank “Doc” Dinka Memorial Men’s Soccer Scholarship when making a donation.

Sincerely,

Jon Leamy
Men’s Soccer Coach
Missouri State University
901 South National Avenue
Springfield, MO 65897
Office: (417)836-5243
Fax: (417)836-8475

School Website: www.missouristate.edu