Dennis Denning, a legendary baseball coach in Minnesota for parts of five decades, this afternoon announced plans to retire from the University of St. Thomas, effective Feb. 1, 2010. Dennis Denning Dennis Denning Denning took the St. Thomas baseball program to new heights during the last 15 seasons. His Tommie teams won NCAA Division III championships in 2001 and 2009 and claimed national runner-up finishes in 1999 and 2000. Denning, who turned 65 last week, won 80 percent of his games and recorded 901 victories at St. Thomas (1995-2009) and Cretin-Derham Hall (1978-94). At St.Thomas, his 522-157 overall record (.769 win percentage) was the best mark since 1995 among all NCAA Division III coaches. In each of the last 14 seasons, the Tommies have won either the regular-season or postseason title in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Prior to his Tommie era, he was head coach for 17 seasons at nearby Cretin-Derham Hall High School, where his Raider teams won six Minnesota state large-class championships, 15 St. Paul City Conference titles, and amassed a 379-76 record (.833).