Mike Desmond is the 2^nd eldest of John & Mary Desmond. He graduated from Aquinas High School in 1971. While at Aquinas, he participated in both football and basketball earning four letters. Mike went on to attend UW-L where he graduated with a degree in Secondary Education and Psychology. Later he would earn a Master’s Degree in Education. In 1979, Mike began teaching and coaching at Aquinas. That same year, he married his love, Karen Schnedecker.

Mike taught at Aquinas for 25 years. His coaching career began as an Assistant Football Coach. In basketball, he began as the Head Girls Basketball Coach before being hired as the Head Boys Basketball Coach in 1989. He coached Boys Basketball for 16 years, winning a Division 2 State Championship in 2003 as well as several other conference, city and regional championship titles. Over the years, Coach Desmond has been honored with several awards including being inducted into both the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame and the Aquinas Athletic Wall of Fame.

In 2004, Mike left Aquinas to pursue an opportunity with the UW-L Foundation. His primary responsibility there was to lead the fundraising team that built the UW-L Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex.

In 2009, Mike left UW-L for an opportunity to serve as the Executive Director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater La Crosse. This decision was made based upon his desire to return to his passion of making a difference in the lives of youth. During his time at the Club, Mike impacted thousands of youth, built incredible community partnerships, lead two successful capital campaigns and became the champion for having increased fine arts programming and mental health support within the Clubs. He retired from the Boys & Girls Club in 2019.

Mike greatly understands the value of service to others. He is a Rotarian serving as their Mobile Meal Chairperson and has served on numerous other Boards. For his leadership at the Boys & Girls Club and his commitment to serve others, Mike was named Person of the Year by the La Crosse Tribune and was awarded the Pope John XXXIII award presented by Viterbo University.

Mike’s family includes his wife, Karen, his son, Mike, his daughter, Katie and his four grandchildren. Mike is grateful to his family, especially Karen, who has been his biggest support.



Mike is thankful to have been given the opportunity to serve and carry out the critical mission of the Club, and he appreciates the time he spent working with an incredible team of people. The Club would not be where it is today without Mike’s dedication and leadership.