ST. JOSEPH, Minn. -- 41 years is a long career in any profession.
 
But in the college head coaching ranks, that kind of longevity is rarer still.
 
Yet the College of Saint Benedict athletic department boasts not one, but two head coaches with that much time under their belts.
 
CSB head basketball coach Mike Durbin is now in his 40th season at the school and his 41st as a head coach at the college level. The Ohio native began his career leading the women's basketball program at Wittenberg University in his home state in 1985-86 before arriving at CSB the following season.
 
Heading into his team's road matchup at Macalester Wednesday (Jan. 7) night, he now boasts 774 career victories and has led CSB to the NCAA Division III tournament 17 times, including eight Sweet 16 appearances, three trips to the Elite 8 and two to the Final Four. The Bennies finished as national runners-up in 1998-99.
 
"There's no way you can predict you'll be someplace for 40 years," he said. "A lot has to work out to make that happen. I think when my career is over, it is something I'll take a lot of pride in because coaching is a profession where it's very difficult to have that kind of longevity at any level."
 
"In my case, it's taken a village," said Durbin.  "I've been lucky enough to work for great administrators and to have a staff of amazing assistant coaches. We've all shared a similar goal of trying to provide the best experience possible for our student-athletes."
 
Those are much the same sentiments shared by CSB head tennis coach Jack Bowe, who is also about to enter his 41st season as a collegiate head coach. The Central Minnesota tennis fixture began his career as the head men's coach at St. Cloud State University for five seasons. He then spent seven seasons as the head coach at CSB before taking over at Saint John's University in 1998.
 
He has remained in Collegeville ever since, but in 2022, he also took over the St. Ben's head coaching reins for a second time. In all, he is a three-time MIAC coach of the year.
 
"I'm not getting any younger, but in many ways, I feel like I'm just getting started," Bowe said. "It's a job that's never felt like work. I've gotten to be around great people. I still love the game. I'm still energized. Being around all the great players I've had the chance to work with over the years has helped keep me young."
 
Bowe is also part of the athletic department at SJU where such longevity has been more common with coaches such as John Gagliardi (60 seasons), Jim Smith (51 seasons), Jerry Haugen (48 seasons), Tim Miles (44 seasons) and Pat Haws (32 seasons). 

But CSB is establishing its own history. Durbin was the first head coach to reach the 20 and 30-season marks at the school, but head cross country coach Robin Balder-Lanoue just completed her 29th year on the job in 2025 and Carol Howe-Veenstra spent 30 seasons in the athletic department, including 15 as head volleyball coach and 27 as athletic director.

"The X's and O's aren't a lot different than they were when I started, although I will say I continue to learn all kinds of different things in that area that I didn't know 40 years ago," Durbin said. "Practices and game days are pretty similar, though different rules changes over the years have caused me to put more emphasis on different areas."

 "But recruiting has changed a lot. So much of it is online now," said Durbin. "Earlier in my career, I was able to hop in my car and go discover players who maybe hadn't gotten as much publicity. No one goes unknown these days. So, it's a lot more competitive in that way."
 
"Yet we're still getting first-class people and that makes my job so fun," he continued. "When you come to a place like this, you know pro sports probably isn't going to be the end game. The focus is on finding your future path, whatever that is. And the way both CSB and SJU support students, as well as the alumni base, we have, makes these schools extremely attractive for students who prioritize education and vocation."
 
Bowe feels the exact same way.
 
"I don't know how it is at the Division I level, but I look at the men and women on my teams at Saint John's and Saint Ben's and feel so lucky," said Bowe, who has also run the Bowe Tennis Academy in the area for 40 years. "We've earned the ITA All-Academic Team Award many times. We usually have a big group of ITA Scholar-Athletes. I jokingly say my tutoring pays off. But really, it's our players and how hard they work."
 
"I look back at even recent alums," Bowe said. "At CSB, (2024 graduate) Peyton Kopel was just part of the first class at the new medical school in St. Cloud last year. (Fellow 2024 graduate) Ashley Tarrolly is now an investment banking analyst. We have so many success stories like that and it's always gratifying to see."

CSB athletic director Kelly Anderson Diercks said both Bowe and Durbin have made formidable impacts.

"The legacy of these two coaches is nothing short of incredible," she said. "Mike and Jack have probably coached more than 1,000 collegiate student-athletes throughout their careers. And if you add in summer camps, outside teams and private lessons, their impact has permeated the entire Central Minnesota basketball and tennis communities. CSB is so fortunate to have two coaches with the experience and expertise of Jack and Mike."

Durbin and Bowe got to know each other when Bowe arrived at CSB for the first time in the early 1990s.
 
"He is one of the finest human beings I've met during my time here at CSB and SJU," Durbin said. "He's always easy to work with. He's always an incredibly positive human being. We're very lucky to have him back in our department now."
 
Bowe said the two share a number of traits in common.
 
"We've each been doing this for over 40 years so there must be something that keeps bringing us back," he said. "We both love to compete and we love to recruit. We both have great wives who have always been supportive of us. We've even shared players, including just recently, (2025 graduate) Sophia Jonas (who excelled in both basketball and tennis). So we've worked together really well to make that happen. He's someone who's very easy to communicate with."
 
And both coaches say that over the years, they've gained a better appreciation for how lucky they are to have the chance to do their jobs.
 
"There have always been things I've valued and have a high expectation for when I'm coaching," Durbin said. "But I think early in my career, I didn't take as much joy in certain things as I do know. I've learned how to appreciate the moment more than I did when I first started out. In large part, because now I have more perspective on the bigger picture. You start to better appreciate the impact you can have on people who have been part of your program."
 
"When I started, I was just out of college myself," Bowe added. "I maybe didn't appreciate as much how fortunate I am to get the opportunity to do this. I have buddies who have gotten burned out in their jobs. But that's never happened to me. Just today, I was on the court from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and I loved it. We start practice on Jan. 20 and I couldn't be more excited to get going on another year."
 
"I don't know what it is," Bowe added. "Maybe it's something in the water at Saint John's and Saint Ben's. But these are special places to be part of."