When Gary Walhaug reminisces about his experiences with Todd Magnuson, Walhaug is quick to point out that Magnuson always referred to him as “Coach.”

Although the gesture might seem small, it shows the respect Magnuson demonstrated throughout his 59 years of life. Magnuson died at his home last Friday after suffering an apparent heart attack.

Walhaug began coaching Magnuson in 1976 at Surrey High School. Forty-four years after Walhaug coached Magnuson in basketball and cross country, the friends shared Magnuson’s last athletic season together as Minot High School girls basketball assistant coaches.

“He gave everything he had,” Walhaug said. “When I first met him, that’s just the way he was. He was going to give you every ounce of effort that he had. That’s the way he conducted his whole life.”

Indeed, Magnuson wore many hats. After graduating from Minot State University with a degree in math education, he began his teaching career at Surrey in 1992.

As the Surrey boys basketball head coach, Magnuson led the Mustangs to a fourth-place finish in the 2001 Class B Boys Basketball State Tournament. While playing for Surrey, Jeremy Feller got to know Magnuson on a personal level — both on the court and in the classroom.

“I don’t know if it was because he was my coach, but I just liked him that much more,” Feller said. “Hearing other people talk about just the teaching side of it, it must have been both. He was such a good person. A lot of times, the really good coaches are good with people. That’s what he was. He was good with people. From the outpouring of support that he has had, I think you can tell that he has touched a lot of lives.”

Magnuson left his legacy throughout Surrey, even turning former rivals into friends. When Minot High girls basketball coach Jason Schwarz coached at Lewis & Clark/Berthold, the Bombers and Mustangs battled in some memorable contests.

In order to punch their ticket to state in 2001, Magnuson’s Mustangs earned an overtime victory over the Bombers in a regional championship game. As Magnuson coached the Minot junior varsity team this year, Schwarz enjoyed a front-row seat to his former foe’s positive interactions with players.

“Those connections that he made with the kids meant a whole lot more than maybe I even realized as we were going through it,” Schwarz said. “Now that he’s not here anymore, you’re like, ‘Oh, man. He really connected way more than I thought he did.’ That’s going to be hard to replace. He definitely left his mark, and we talked to our kids about that. You want to leave your mark behind.”

In 2003, Magnuson began making magic in Minot. He taught math at Jim Hill Middle School before transferring to Minot High’s Central Campus in 2015.

“I remember our principal talking to me when Todd applied for the job in Minot,” former Jim Hill athletic director Joel Lawson said. “He said, ‘Well, we’ve got a chance to get Todd Magnuson.’ I said, ‘You don’t need to think twice about that.’ We knew his reputation. The people in Surrey adored him.”

Success became the norm for Magnuson during his tenure as the Minot High girls basketball head coach. From 2010 to 2014, the Majettes made four Class A State Tournament appearances.

In 2014, Minot earned a second-place finish in the tournament. Although Magnuson commanded a strong group on the hardwood, his impact off the court continued to resonate.

“When you’ve got a guy with that type of passion, knowledge and respect from the student-athletes, you want the opportunity for the kids to be able to grow with him,” Minot High athletic director Mitch Lunde said. “I always think of what a good person he was. He just treated everybody with respect. He had that aura about him where everything was calm and cool. He always gave the calm, cool demeanor. That’s always comforting when you work in this business.”

Health issues forced the 2010 WDA Coach of the Year to take a four-year break from coaching. After he departed in 2014, Bernie Wasser took the reins at Minot High.

Forever the cooperative soul, Magnuson helped Wasser learn the Majettes’ tactics and strategies. After a few seasons, Wasser asked Magnuson to assist within the program.

In 2018, Magnuson returned to the Minot bench as the sophomore team’s head coach. His comeback inspired Wasser, a beneficiary of Magnuson’s lessons.

“What a family man,” Wasser said. “The guy had nothing negative to say about anything or anybody. Not just the game, but basically in life. He offered so many things to help people. Those are the things that I probably remember the most. Not so much about his coaching, but the type of person he was.”

Magnuson’s death evokes the memory of a classic John Wooden quote. The 10-time NCAA champion once said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”

A man of character until the end, Magnuson planned to retire at the conclusion of this academic year.

“We lost a very important person in our community,” Wasser said. “He had so much to give. He was a treasure in our community.”

Jimmy Lafakis covers Minot High School sports and Class B high school sports. Follow him on Twitter @JJLII30.