Pam Tyska, NIU women’s golf coach, announced she will be retiring at the end of the 2012 season after 26 years of coaching the Huskies.

“Throughout the 26 years that I coached at NIU, I met a lot of fantastic players and coaches.” Tyska said. “One thing that I will for sure miss are the stories of the players worrying about doing their laundry right or worrying how much fabric softener to put in each load.”

In her first year at NIU, the Huskies won two tournaments and placed in the top five in 10 of 12 tournaments during the 1986-87 season. During her years at NIU, Tyska led the Huskies to 20 first-place finishes, 29 runner-up marks and 102 top-five showings.

“Retiring from coaching is going to be hard,” Tyska said.

In 2006, Tyska received the Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award which is given in recognition of outstanding service above and beyond the call of duty. Her success of awards continued in 2010, when the Kids Golf Foundation named Tyska an Illinois Site Coordinator.

“She has been successful on and off the course at NIU,” said Jeff Compher, NIU Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, in a press release. “Pam will always be a Huskie and wish her the best in the years that follow NIU.”

Tyska said she had many memories from NIU, but one stands out the most from the 1991 season.

“Breaking the team’s scoring record was special at Michigan State,” Tyska said. “The reason is due to the fact that we went out the next day and broke the record yet again. That scoring record was still there till last year.”

Sue Ellett, a member Tyska’s initial team at NIU in 1986, said her former coach always made her feel special.

“She made me feel like I was a professional each time,” Ellett said. “She was always there for her players. Pam made me feel like a professional, which was neat. When I was there, I could always go to her with any type of problem and she was there to help,”