116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Legendary Decorah baseball coach Dennis Olejniczak dies at 86
He won 1,417 games in his 56-year career
Jan. 25, 2026 3:40 pm, Updated: Jan. 25, 2026 5:01 pm
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
CEDAR RAPIDS - He was old school, he was tough, he was gruff. There was a reason he picked up the nickname “Bear.”
Even his kids called him that sometimes.
But Dennis Olejniczak was a winner and he helped make thousands of his players winners, too. On and off the field.
The legendary former Decorah High School baseball coach died Saturday at Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home in the city. He was 86.
Olejniczak coached baseball at Janesville and Decorah for 56 years, retiring in 2017. He won 1,417 games, second all time in the state to Lansing Kee’s Gene Schultz.
Decorah qualified for the state tournament 11 times under his leadership, winning championships in 1970, 1990 and 1991. The Vikings were runners-up in 1970, 1990 and 1991.
Olejniczak’s final overall record was 1,417-560-2. He also ran Decorah’s little league program for decades and was a longtime assistant co-head football coach at the high school.
Olejniczak also won a national coach of the year award in his career. He and wife Paula had two sons who played football at the University of Iowa: Lon and Jason.
“It is our hope that parents and the public understand that it was always my desire to help our young people gain real life experiences through playing the game of baseball to help them succeed in life beyond baseball,” Olejniczak said in a statement announcing his retirement. “Our time with Decorah baseball was nothing short of an amazing experience, and we hope the program can continue to experience great success in the coming years.”
Funeral services for Olejniczak will be Monday, Feb. 2, at 11 a.m., at First Lutheran Church in Decorah. A public celebration of life will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. that day at the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds Community Building.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that memorials to be sent to 1425 Wicklow Drive in Robins (52328 zip code). Donations will be sent to First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Winneshiek County Hospice and to care for the high school baseball facility in Decorah, which is named Olejniczak Field.
Comments: (319)-398-8258, jeff.johnson@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters