DAVENPORT, IOWA (October 20, 2026) — Davenport Community School District honored two longtime coaches Friday evening as the newest members of the DCSD Ring of Honor.
Coach Saladino of West Softball and Coach Jeff Strouth of North Bowling were recognized during the North vs West football game at Roger Craig Stadium. The Ring of Honor celebrates the outstanding achievements of coaches and administrators who have helped make our district and schools legendary.
“The Ring of Honor represents the very best of Davenport Community Schools athletics. Since 1997, it has recognized coaches and administrators whose work has created a lasting legacy for our schools and our student-athletes. Steve Saladino and Jeff Strouth have certainly earned their place in that history. Their success on the field and lanes is remarkable, but so is the impact they leave through the student-athletes they coached, the programs they strengthened, and the coaches they helped inspire. We are proud to celebrate both of them and the impact they have had on Davenport Community Schools,” said District Athletic Director Dave Shovlain.
Coach Saladino — West Softball
For 41 years, Steve Saladino coached at Davenport West, building a legacy that spans multiple sports, generations of student-athletes, and more than four decades of Davenport athletics.
Saladino served as head softball coach from 1982–2017 and 2019–2022 and as head girls basketball coach from 2001–2004 and 2010–2016.
His softball coaching career includes 1,151 wins and a 68% winning percentage, placing him among the top ten all-time Iowa high school softball coaches in career victories.
Among his many accomplishments:
- Two Iowa softball state championships — 1984 and 1986
- Eight state tournament appearances
- Five Mississippi Athletic Conference championships
- Four-time Mississippi Athletic Conference Coach of the Year
- Large School State Coach of the Year — 2004 and 2017
- Coached two Iowa Softball Players of the Year
- One of eight finalists for National Softball Coach of the Year in 2024
- Inducted into the Iowa High School Softball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2006
- Inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2023
Saladino's coaching legacy extends beyond softball. He served as an assistant coach for the 1994 state championship boys basketball team and was a member of West's 1972 boys basketball state championship team.
His accomplishments as an athlete were also recognized with induction into the West High Athletic Hall of Fame and the Iowa High School Basketball Players Hall of Fame in 1985.
Coach Jeff Strouth — North Bowling
Jeff Strouth dedicated eighteen years to coaching at Davenport North High School, including thirteen years as head bowling coach from 2010–2022.
Under Strouth's leadership, North bowling made eleven state tournament appearances, including five consecutive appearances, and captured four state championships.
Strouth's accomplishments include:
- Eleven state tournament appearances — 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022
- Four state championships — 2011, 2013, 2014, and 2019
- IHSAA record-holder for most state coaching appearances
- MAC Conference Coach of the Year
- Iowa State Coach of the Year
- National Coach of the Year nominee
- Coached two individual state champions
- Coached eight First Team All-State bowlers
- Never had a losing record during his eighteen years of coaching
- Six former bowlers went on to become coaches within the Davenport Community School District
Strouth's influence also extended beyond North's bowling program, with former athletes carrying the lessons and experiences from his program into coaching roles of their own throughout the Davenport community.
Celebrating a Legacy of Excellence
The Ring of Honor provides DCSD with an opportunity to recognize coaches and other members of the athletic community whose dedication has helped create opportunities, build programs, and positively influence generations of student-athletes.
The October 16 ceremony brought together current and former student-athletes, coaches, families, colleagues, and members of the Davenport community to celebrate the careers and lasting legacies of two coaches who have helped shape Davenport athletics.
Please join Davenport Community School District in congratulating Coach Saladino and Coach Jeff Strouth on their induction into the DCSD Ring of Honor.
