Scott Jeffrey Kirchmann

Scott Jeffrey Kirchmann, 48, of Elkhorn, Nebraska went to heaven to be with his Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ on Sunday January 12, 2020 after a long fought battle with lung cancer. Scott was a husband, a doting parent, a tenacious coach, a dependable teacher and a pulsating friend. He was raised in Nebraska, proud of his Midwest lineage, and utterly devoted to Cornhusker football. He was born in Hastings, and graduated from Millard South High School in 1990. His passion for athletics and teaching spanned his entire life. Coach Kirchmann, as he was known to many, had a long and distinguished career in collegiate athletics spending over a decade as a head coach on the NCAA Division I level. His career began as a graduate assistant at Idaho State University in 1998 followed by two seasons at the University of Idaho as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. He took the reigns as the first full-time Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Campbell University (Buies Creek, NC) in 2001. His career then took him to Belmont University (Nashville, TN) in 2005 before moving to the University of Montana in 2008. His final employment, and perhaps, most beloved, was being a physical education instructor at a small, rural school located in northwestern North Dakota, Powers Lake.

Kirchmann was recognized by his peers for excellence in coaching and was a finalist twice for the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Collegiate Strength Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2011. He was a member of the NSCA since 1994 and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with distinction. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Sports and Leisure Management in 1994 from the University of Nebraska at Kearney; a 1999 graduate of Idaho State University with a Masters in Athletic Administration and a 2014 graduate of Black Hills State University with a Masters in Physical Education. Notably during his career, Kirchmann worked with 19 NCAA Division I sports teams. He helped both mens and womens basketball teams make eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances between 2006 - 2012. He was so proud to be part of the Belmont Mens Basketball team during their three-peat when matched up to UCLA (2006), Georgetown (2007) and Duke (2008) in the first round of the NCAA tournament. His love of March Madness was equally felt on selection Monday with the Belmont and Montana Womens Basketball teams. His wife and children joined him on team charters to first round tournament play for the Montana vs New Mexico game in San Jose, CA; Belmont Lady Bruins vs Georgia in Minneapolis, MN and the Montana Lady Griz vs. Penn. State in Spokane, WA; Montana vs. Duke basketball game in Durham, NC; Montana vs. Tennessee football game in Knoxville, TN along with attending hundreds of both home and away match-ups.

Kirchmann loved, mentored, and influenced hundreds of student athletes throughout his career, and if he ran into a former student, he could still remember not just their name, but their number, position and a story about them in the weightroom, court, classroom and/or field. Scott was known as a friend to many and was always willing to lend a hand and offer advice and perspective that only he could. He loved all sports especially coaching his son and daughter's youth teams and was a particularly big Nebraska Husker fan. Scott is survived by his wife Gretchen, his son Paul, his daughter Allison, several friends and relatives, and hundreds of student athletes spanning a substantial portion of this country. All he ever wanted was to be loved for being who he wasa coach, a husband, a father, and a friend. We will miss you Scott!

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the family to help with his childrens higher education. A celebration of life ceremony will be held on Sunday February 2, 2020 at the Elkhorn United Methodist Church, 20227 Veterans Drive, Elkhorn, Nebraska at 2 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite sports apparel or team uniform in Scotts honor.

Funeral Home:
Chapel of Memories
9001 Arbor Street #111
Omaha, NE
United States 68124