Northwest officials mourn Bostwick's loss- Joey Falkoff, Maryville Daily ForumMaryville, Mo. — With heavy hearts and a look of dispair on each of their faces, a downtrodden group of Northwest Missouri State representatives met with the media Sunday evening in Lamkin Activity Center to discusss the passing of head football coach Scott Bostwick.
President John Jasinski, athletic director Wren Baker, former head coach Mel Tjeersdma and the remaining members of the current coaching staff stood together in a row, each one wearing the emotional strain of the day's events.
None of them could've forseen that Bostwick, 49, would suffer a fatal heart attack on Sunday morning, sending Bearcat nation into a collective state of shock.
"It's a tough day," said Tjeerdsma. "It's a day we weren't expecting. We're all hurting right now. Just like Wren said and Dr. Jasinski said, we're all Bearcats. We're family, and that's what's going to get us through. Our focus right now is on family and everything we can do to help them."
The grieving process began with a team meeting and an impromptu press conference that was used as a tribute to a man who most everyone in the Bearcat community held in high regard.
Northwest mourning death of football coach - NWMSU
MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri State University is deeply saddened to report that head football coach Scott Bostwick died late Sunday morning of an apparent heart attack while he was mowing the lawn at his Maryville home.
Bostwick, 49, was named Northwest's 18th head football coach in December. Prior to that, he served as the team's defensive coordinator since arriving at Northwest in 1994. During that span, the Bearcats won 12 MIAA championships and three NCAA Division II championships in 1998, 1999 and 2009, appearing in the title game seven times.
The 2007 AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year, Bostwick continuously produced one of the top defenses in the nation. The Bearcats led the MIAA in scoring defense in each of the last five seasons and in total defense in two of the last three.
The Bearcats have finished in the top 10 nationally in stopping the run three times in the last five years, including 2006 when the team set a program record by allowing just 75 rushing yards per game. Only eight individuals have posted 100 yards rushing against Northwest in the last 77 games dating back to 2004.
Along with team success has come numerous individual accolades for Northwest defenders. Bostwick coached 20 defensive players who combined to appear on numerous All-America teams. Six Bearcats were named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year under Bostwick.
Bostwick mentored five first-team All-MIAA selections in 2010, the highest number in one season under his regime. He had four first-teamers three other times since 2005. Bostwick coached 54 Bearcats who combined to earn 83 All-MIAA honors.
Prior to joining the staff at Northwest, Bostwick spent four years at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. He served as defensive coordinator at Nebraska Wesleyan, his alma mater, from 1986-1990.
Bostwick earned his bachelor's degree from Nebraska Wesleyan, where he was a four-year letterwinner and was named all-conference and all-district on the gridiron. He was inducted into that university's Athletic Hall of Fame in October of 2006 and is the program's third-leading tackler.
Bostwick is survived by his wife, Sue, and two children, Leah and Eric.
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