Herb Page made Ben Curtis into a PGA Tour champion.

Page made Jon Mills into a dominant All-American.

Page turned Kent State golf into a national powerhouse.

Under Page’s tutelage, the Kent State men’s golf team boasted 115 All-MAC honors, 81 team tournament championships, 22 MAC golf championships since 1984, 21 MAC championship medalists, 17 NCAA Championship appearances, 33 All-American scholars, 17 MAC Golfers of the Year, 28 All-Americans, four top-10 finishes at NCAA Championships, 27 NCAA regional appearances and three NCAA regional titles.

After 41 years impacting Kent State, Page announced on Thursday that he’ll be retiring at season’s end. 

“(Herb) Page has defined excellence on a national stage,” Kent State president Beverly Warren said. “But for us coach Page defines the epitome of the true grit, determination and can-do attitude that abounds right here at Kent State.”

Warren praised Page’s coaching and history winning at the highest level. She also described Page as a mentor for the members of the golf program. 

“Coach Page has been a mentor and a role model for countless men and women who came to Kent State to play golf and left as a better person because of their interaction with Herb Page,” Warren said. 

Despite retiring, Page said he’ll still be involved with Kent State in some capacity. 

“I’m always going to be here,” Page said. “I’m just across the street. I’m at the golf course. I’m going to stay involved with Kent State University. I love this town.”

After joking about not knowing what his legacy was going to be, he said that he’d never given up on any of his players through his time with the Flashes. 

“I don’t give up,” he said.

This sentiment was echoed by Curtis.

“He would get upset, but you walk in his office the next day or at practice, and he would be like you won the tournament,” Curtis the 2003 British Open champion, said. “That shows what type of coach he is.”

Current members of the Kent State golf team are also sad to see Page go. 

“He’s been here 40 plus years, there’s not many coaches that stay at one university for that long,” Junior Chris Doody said. “That is a testament to his loyalty and his character. We’re going to miss him a lot and can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next.”

“It’s legendary,” sophomore Will Kurtz said. “He’s had so many great players come around, and it’s an honor to play for him. It was awesome playing for Herb.”

Current Kent State associate head coach Jon Mills will take over for Page on July 1.

“The thing I love about Herb was…he always gave me an opportunity,” Mills said. “He’s always been a friend of mine and continuing to look forward to learning from him.”

Zachary McKnight is a sports reporter. Contact him at [email protected].