Roland Landes wore many hats over the course of three decades at EMU, serving as an exemplary employee and coach of five different sports: men’s cross country, baseball, men’s basketball, women’s cross country, and track and field. His longest coaching tenures were as head men’s cross-country coach for nine seasons in two separate stints from 1967-1971 and 1973-1976 and as head men’s baseball coach for five seasons from 1979-1983.
As head men’s cross-country coach, Landes oversaw teams that won four National Christian Colleges Athletic Association (NCCAA) championships and two ODAC championships, including the inaugural ODAC championship in 1976. Another coaching highlight came when Landes stepped in as head men’s basketball coach for the 1972-1973 season: “It was the first year Lou Campanelli was at James Madison. They had scholarship players, and we hadn’t recruited at all. We beat them 72-71.”
Landes finished his 16-year EMU coaching career in 1983 with a 223-141 record. He also served as assistant professor of physical education from 1968-1982 and as supervisor of auxiliary services from 1984 until his retirement in 1998. He has fond memories of his time working with students in the classroom and on the playing fields. “The kids were just a joy to teach and to coach, and they didn’t hold anything back. They always gave 100 percent, and I really appreciated that and EMU’s spiritual emphasis that I thought was important for the whole person.
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