PERHAM — Longtime Perham boys basketball head coach Dave Cresap has announced his resignation, ending a storied career at the helm of the Yellowjackets.
Cresap recently announced his retirement from teaching at Prairie Wind Middle School in Perham, and will be the new head men’s basketball coach at Minnesota State Community and Technical College in Fergus Falls.
Perham Activities Director Erin Anderson said Cresap will be missed and that he left his mark on the Perham community.
“This news certainly marks the end of an incredible era in Perham Yellowjacket boys basketball,” Anderson said in a news release. “Dave Cresap has built a program that is respected and considered, year in and year out, one of the best in the state. He has worked very hard and given an incredible personal investment since taking the reins 28 years ago.”
While coach Cresap will be missed, Anderson added, “It’s exciting to learn about this special opportunity he has with M State and I wish him all the best. They are getting a great and passionate coach. Dave leaves a legacy here, but also leaves a program in very good shape for whatever the next chapter is for the Yellowjackets. I want to thank coach Cresap for all he’s done for our students and for Yellowjacket boys basketball throughout his time here.”
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Cresap led the Yellowjackets for nearly three decades and posted a career record of 666-298. He led the Yellowjackets to five Class AA state tournament appearances, including the 2011 Class AA state championship.
His Yellowjackets were in the Section 8AA championship game in 2020 before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Yellowjackets were 28-0 heading into the Section 8AA championship.
Cresap said he will take all the great memories and friendships he has gained during his years as a teacher and coach with the Yellowjackets.
“I will take what I have learned on the job into my new position because of all the great people I have had the chance to work with,” Cresap said.
Cresap said he enjoyed all the relationships he has built with players and his coaching staff during his tenure in Perham.
“I still say today that I had the best coaching staff in the state for many years,” Cresap said. “Without all of them, there is no way this program would be as successful as it is today.”
Cresap was named the Section 8AA Coach of the Year after leading the Yellowjackets to the 2022 Class AA state tournament. It was the seventh time in his career he received that honor.
He received the same honor in 2011 after winning the Class AA championship. He was recognized as the Max Sports National Coach of the Year in 2011. Cresap was inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2022, as well as the Valley City State University Coaches Hall of Fame the same year.
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Cresap’s legacy with the Yellowjackets will live beyond the 2011 Class AA championship and the five Class AA tournament appearances.
“I always told our teams that the basketball part of their life will be very short, but how we impact you as a person will last a lifetime,” Cresap said. “The students and athletes that I have worked with are the best a teacher and coach could ask for. They always came ready to work, which made my job that much easier.”
