Former Decorah HS boys basketball coach Dennis Cullinan dies

Posted: Mon, Feb 28, 2011 9:13 AM

Former Decorah High School boys basketball coach Dennis Cullinan died Friday at age 59 from the effects of cancer.

Memorial services for Cullinan will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls.

Cullinan compiled a career record of 362 wins and 243 losses while coaching at Decorah, Ames, North Fayette, Nashua and Southeast Polk.

When Cullinan thought he was unjustly fired as the coach at Ames in 2004, he appealed the school board's decision. An adjudicator ruled in favor of Cullinan, as did a district court judge and an Iowa Court of Appeals panel. The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the previous rulings in 2008, ending a legal battle that lasted more than three years.