Despite carrying plenty of weight on his shoulders, Dave McLaren has always found a way to succeed.
A standout shot put thrower, McLaren was a three-sport athlete in high school and has gone on to a
successful teaching and coaching career where he’s served as a shot put coach and mentor, helping many others get that weight off their own shoulders.
McLaren was the 1989 WIAA state shot put champion and still holds Neenah High School records in the event with an indoor throw of 56 feet, 9 inches and an outdoor heave of 60 feet, 4.5 inches during his senior year.
In football, McLaren was an all-conference running back and linebacker. He was also the team captain and punter for the 1988 squad that had the longest playoff run in Neenah history by reaching the state semifinals. McLaren was a wrestler in high school and qualified for sectionals during his freshman year.
But it was the shot put that earned McLaren a collegiate scholarship to Iowa State University. He was a member of a Big Eight Conference championship squad as a freshman and later transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where he won two NCAA Division III national championships and set indoor and outdoor school records. He set an NCAA Division III meet record and had one of the top 50 shot put throws in the world from 1994-96.
Following his collegiate career, McLaren remained at UW-Oshkosh as an assistant coach while completing a degree in secondary education and speech communication. He landed a position teaching English at Zion-Benton High School in Zion, Ill. and completed a master’s degree in education at Olivet Nazarene
University. McLaren also coaches shot put and discus and tutored numerous state-qualifying athletes, including one Illinois state champion. He has shared his knowledge with others as a regular clinician at track and field coaching conferences.
McLaren has been active with events that benefit the Illinois Autism Society. He and his wife, Tricia, and son, Kaden, reside in Antioch, Ill.
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