Charlie Gartenmayer has served Benedictine College, the Raven Athletic Department, and Benedictine’s student-athletes for more than 50 years. He graduated from Benedictine in 1975 and joined the coaching staff after completing his playing career for the Ravens. He coached for 48 years, rising to Defensive Coordinator and eventually Associate Head Coach. He took over as Athletic Director in 2007, continuing to coach until 2022. He was repeatedly honored by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Heart of America Athletic Conference and is the only person in the recorded history of any level of college football to be recognized as both a Coach of the Year and Athletic Director of the Year. Charlie was also honored with the Kansas Monk Award as an outstanding alumnus during the 2025 Alumni Reunion.

The college has been blessed with Charlie’s influence and pursuit of excellence for decades and that legacy will continue to bear fruit for decades to come.

George (Coach Pops) Papageorgiou spent 24 years on the sidelines for the Raven Football program, most recently serving as the offensive line coach. During his tenure, he mentored five of the Ravens’ all-time leading rushers and his offensive line anchored some of the top all-time offensive units in program history. Before coming to Benedictine, George held coaching positions at Willamette University, Pacific University and Bethel College, where he was named Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1996. In the 2000 season, George found a home as the Assistant Head Football Coach at Benedictine College, where he remained until his death in 2024. He was named Heart of America North Assistant Coach of the Year in 2018 and NAIA Assistant Football Coach of the Year by the AFCA in 2022.

George loved his wife and four daughters deeply, and his fellow coaches were not just colleagues, but family. He was coaching a youth high school football camp on the day of his passing, sharing his passion for and knowledge of the sport he loved to the end.