Featured Testimonial About Creighton University
By Jon Nyatawa
John “Jack” Diesing Sr., BA’40, JD’41, wasn’t really a baseball fan. That’s what his son remembers. This was back in 1963, when city leaders were asking Jack to lead a new organization that could rally local support and interest for the College World Series.
Then, in 1967, Jack incorporated a 501c(3) organization, College World Series of Omaha, Inc., to serve as the Local Organizing Committee and, as the saying goes, “The rest is history.”
Jack’s son, John “Jack” Diesing Jr., always did like baseball — although he did not grow up planning that he would one day follow in his dad’s footsteps and lead the nonprofit Jack Sr. founded.
Yet the Diesings, both father and son, ended up passionately serving the community year after year as they made lasting contributions to the growth and success of the College World Series.
They helped secure business partnerships, sell tickets, recruit local volunteers, strategically plan capital projects, enhance the fan experience and so much more.
It was a second job, a full-time volunteer job. A labor of love.
The CWS — Omaha’s annual moment in the college sports spotlight — celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. And the Diesing family’s legacy is stitched into the fabric of this storied event.
“It’s been a fun experience to see how it’s all evolved,” said Jack Jr., who’s the chairman and president of the board of the College World Series of Omaha, Inc. “Because it started with an idea and now it’s become a reality.”
What the College World Series has become: A bucket-list sporting event with a national TV deal and $115 million worth of local economic impact, according to CWS of Omaha, Inc., estimates.
Bolstered by a tremendously successful partnership between the city of Omaha, the Metropolitan Convention and Entertainment Authority, local businesses, CWS of Omaha, Inc., Creighton and the NCAA, the CWS has long been a model for other intercollegiate championships.
In 2011, the NCAA agreed to an unprecedented 25-year deal to keep the series in Omaha.
There was a time, back when Jack Sr. started CWS of Omaha, Inc., that the event wasn’t profitable.
No one really seemed to want to host it, Jack Jr. said. Things have changed.
That’s why, Jack Jr. said, there’s no time to rest. Even in a milestone year. Jack Jr. said he, along with organizers at CWS of Omaha, Inc., and NCAA representatives, are constantly considering new ideas to keep improving college baseball’s annual eight-team championship event.
The latest capital project is the result of that forward-thinking approach. It also brings into focus the series’ longtime relationship with Creighton University as the event’s host institution since 1950.
Creighton — supported by contributions from CWS of Omaha, Inc., the state of Nebraska’s Shovel-Ready Capital Recovery and Investment Act Program, donors and other partners — is opening a state-of-the-art practice field in 2026 that will be located just a few blocks away from Charles Schwab Field, the home of the CWS and the Bluejays’ home ballpark.
The new field will be used by the Creighton baseball program — and during the series, it will enhance the experience for CWS teams and student-athletes by providing space to practice and train between games.
“More college baseball programs are making investments in their facilities across the country and the sport’s championship event needs to reflect that changing landscape,” Jack Jr. said. “We recognized the importance of building a world-class practice field. Creighton did, too. I’m grateful we could work together and continue to improve the experience for student-athletes.”
That’s one of the reasons why Jack Jr. has enjoyed this gig, and why he’s stayed with it so long. Same for his dad, Jack Sr., who passed away in 2010.
You get to connect with people and businesses who want to collaborate and make a difference.
“I just did whatever it took because I love giving back to the community and felt that this was good for Omaha,” Jack said. “There’s been no such thing as 40-hour weeks for the last 35 years for me. I’m so grateful for my wife, Terri, who’s been incredibly supportive and integral in helping me develop relationships. I’m a believer that there’s no ‘I’ in team and there are a lot of people who have worked together to make this happen.”
At the end of the day, Jack Jr. emphasizes:
“Omaha has become known as The Home of the NCAA Men’s College World Series/The Road to Omaha/The Greatest Show on Dirt. We want that to continue for the next 75 years.”
