Tributes pour in for Bay sports legend Mike Stallenberg

Tributes have poured in from across the sporting fraternity in Nelson Mandela Bay after the death of well-known administrator Mike Stallenberg at the weekend. 

News of Stallenberg’s death on Saturday saw an outpouring of gratitude for the former Eastern Province stalwart as members of the cricket, rugby and soccer fraternities paid glowing tributes to the northern areas sporting icon. 

Stallenberg celebrated his 81st birthday last month.

He is survived by his wife Magdalene and daughters Margaret, Eugene and Geraldine, and son Ulrich. 

Ulrich said his father had touched so many lives and selflessly gave up his own family time to be a “father figure, mentor and brother” to members of the community. 

“We have been receiving so much support from people who knew my father.

“He gave so much of his time to assisting members of our community.

"As a youngster, I would always feel a bit jealous because his time was always so divided between us and the community but as I grew older I realised that many of those traits had rubbed off on my siblings and I,” he said. 

Adding to this, his daughter Eugene said: “My father always believed in the three Ds: dedication, determination and discipline.

“It was something he instilled into us from a young age and it has carried us throughout our lives and has brought us to where we are today.”

While he played a number of sports in his early days, it was his prowess as a coach and manager that won him a place in the hearts of the many sportsmen to have played under his guidance. 

He was one of the founding members of the Glen Roses Rugby Club, formed in 1961.

He also played for them and was club delegate to the Eastern Province Rugby Union for over two decades. 

In 1970, he was approached by then-club chair Martin Frost, who suggested Stallenberg replace him in the position of chair.

However, players expressed their desire for him to take up the role of club coach which he duly accepted. 

He assumed the role of club chair four years later, before being approached to coach the EP senior provincial team. 

Stallenberg held that position for 10 years, leading the EP side to a number of SA Cup triumphs between 1980 and 1984 before voluntarily stepping down in 1986. 

He also coached the Kwazakhele Rugby Union team between 1987 and 1989, leading them to the SA Cup final, and in doing so, became the only man to lead two provincial unions to the final of the competition. 

Other coaching assignments included taking the reins at Harlequins Rugby Football Club, an amalgamation of three clubs including Glen Roses, St Marks and Wallabies, in 1992 and post-unification before moving to African Bombers.

He spent four years there before returning to Glen Roses, who had by then returned to their original form. 

During his off season, he turned his attention to cricket, and as a favour Stallenberg was asked to step in as EP manager for a short while after another legend in Charles Houlie was unable to fill the role. 

He made such an impression on the players that his role was later made permanent. He held the position for four years, helping EP to the Howa Bowl for Cricket in 1984. 

By doing this, Stallenberg became the first man in the history of SA sport to win the Howa Bowl and the SA Cup for rugby in the same year. 

“Mike was mindful of the needs of non-racial sport,” retired Supreme Court of Appeal judge Ronnie Pillay said.

Pillay is the chair of the Eastern Cape’s Warriors cricket franchise. 

“He contributed towards the establishment of a non-racial society in a number of ways and was humble enough to do so without complaint or seeking any reward or blowing any trumpet,” Pillay said.

Graeme Sauls, of the PE Sports Legends Trust, said. “He left a legacy that will never be forgotten and his contribution to our sport will always be appreciated.”

Ulrich said they were finalising the funeral arrangements, with a date scheduled for Saturday May 9.