FB: American Rivers Conference

[Mav45]

I'm sure there is some reason that coaches aren't voting for him...I know he turned me off of Wartburg during my recruiting processes, I just personally didn't want to play for a guy like that...that was a personal thing with me...he gets a ton of talent and I was very surprised to hear how often wartburg fans believe he has been "jimped" out of COY honors.

[What is he doing other than his coaching that has the other conference coaches, many of whom have changed while he was away from coaching, consistently looking for and voting for another option....  
What is he doing that he is not getting the respect that WB fans feel he deserves?  

Why don't you guys just come out and say it.  You think Willis isn't getting the votes because the other conference coaches don't like him on a personal level.  If that's really what it is, I think that's pretty petty and immature, but that's just me.

Having dealt with both Willis and McMartin, I can tell you that personality-wise, they really aren't that different.  Willis does a bit more yelling on the sidelines, but he and McMartin are both very good guys.  Neither one overwhelmingly outgoing, both of them keep things pretty close to the vest, but they both take football very seriously, want what's best for their team, and have a lot of respect for the guys on the other sideline.  

And despite the fact that there have been plenty of new coaches in the league over the past few years (every school besides Dubuque had made a coaching change in the last 5 years), a good number of the coaches have Iowa Conference experience.  BV's Anderson, Coe's Staker, and McMartin were all assistant coaches in the IIAC before becoming head coaches (although McMartin not immediately before taking over).  Osterberger was a new coach, but came from another school within the league.  Dillon played at Cornell.  When it really comes down to it, Durnin and Glo at Simpson are the only coaches with no prior connections to the Iowa Conference.  So if there are some lingering differences with Willis, they are likely being carried over from old staffs.

I still just don't see it, though.  After all, Willis is far from the biggest prick that's coached in the IIAC in the past decade.  Cough...Raeburn...Cough, cough.

Do you guys suppose that the way a guy "does business" in the recruiting process has any impact on how he is appreciated by peers in the COY evaluations?

Willis is a master at convincing talented 18-yr olds to join his program, everybody can agree about that.  But sometimes slick coaches can steer opinions in sleazy, slanderous ways, but "package" it in such a way so that it doesn't seem greasy.

[Thunderbolt]

 
[/quote]

Brockmeyer was a safety - his coverages rolled to the weak side of the field (i think he was Free), thus there was a 50-50 shot that he was on the same side as Breitbach.  Brockmeyer probably benefited from his closing speed.

[/quote]
That and the fact he was really good last year as well.

[footballdaddy]

The UD team did take a step back this year from a won/loss view.  But different from past Spartan teams is they were still competitive with other teams.  No real blowouts.  It took a 45 yard FG with 1 minute left for Central to get by them.  They took Wartburg into OT.  Plus, as many on here have stated, past UD teams had bigger mouths that talent levels.  This Spartan team looked to keep their mouths shut and looked to have good sportsmanship. 

Others on here that have coaching contacts might know a different story.  Maybe coach B lost the team.  That does happen sometimes where a coach that has been with a team for a long time loses the players and they stop playing for him.  Maybe that is the case here, I don't know. 

I will be interested to see how they go about their coaching search.  They certainly have good facilities at UD now.  Whoever they bring in better have good recruiting contacts because there isn't a pipeline of local talent knocking on the doors of UD. 

All I can add is that after the Wartburg game I was walking by the visitor's locker room and through the closed doors heard someone that sounded like a coach getting completly bent. I could hear him clearly through the steel doors yelling quite loudly something about giving up. If that kind of chewing out after a loss was typical, maybe there was so backlash from the players. I obviously didn't stay and listen to the whole thing, and I know I'm only commenting on a few words, but I can say that the Spartan parents waiting for their sons were not happy.   

[HoosierinIowa]

I have a great deal of respect for Willis. I got to meet and hand with him a few times several years ago and think he is a tremendous talent and a good guy.

The main complaints I have heard about Wartburg form other athletic departments have to do with the Vegas wrestling tournament and the way the Yordi situation was handled. Neither may be anything more than envy over Wartburg's success, but I was surprised how upset non-wrestling people were over the Vegas tourney.

[Purple Heys]

I'm sure UD probably has the money to do a big search.  And probably can afford to pay more for a coach than other schools.  But at the D3 level does paying more for someone really get you THAT much more in a coach???  I don't know that answer. 

For the right amount of Crunchberries I am available.   

[doolittledog]

I'm sure UD probably has the money to do a big search.  And probably can afford to pay more for a coach than other schools.  But at the D3 level does paying more for someone really get you THAT much more in a coach???  I don't know that answer. 

For the right amount of Crunchberries I am available.   

Dubuque doesn't have access to Crunchberries like Cedar Rapids does.  But we could probably get you a whole bunch of scale model toy tractors from over in Dyersville!!!

Something tells me even if you were interested in making the move, the rest of your family would tell you "no way" 

Then again, maybe UD is making this coaching move as a recruiting tool towards Heys Rev. 3  If dad is on the staff maybe that makes him a bit more interested

[DutchFan2004]

I'm sure UD probably has the money to do a big search.  And probably can afford to pay more for a coach than other schools.  But at the D3 level does paying more for someone really get you THAT much more in a coach???  I don't know that answer. 

For the right amount of Crunchberries I am available.   

Dubuque doesn't have access to Crunchberries like Cedar Rapids does.  But we could probably get you a whole bunch of scale model toy tractors from over in Dyersville!!!

Something tells me even if you were interested in making the move, the rest of your family would tell you "no way" 

Then again, maybe UD is making this coaching move as a recruiting tool towards Heys Rev. 3  If dad is on the staff maybe that makes him a bit more interested

The question then would be can Purple Heys last long enough and produce enough results till #3 comes along to college?  Three years is a long time in the football world.  I think the honeymoon could be over by the time #3 gets there and might be to late, but on the other hand then they would be here in Iowa and maybe the Dutch could sneak in there and get him.   

[steelhawk]

No real blowouts.

I would consider the 42-6 loss to Loras a blowout.

[kohawkfan]

Here's a tidbit regarding the Iowa HS FB Championships:  
North Tama is playing this afternoon for the Class A championship in the UNI dome.  Their game against Southern Cal is tied at 7 at half.  
North Tama's coaching staff includes Coe All-American Dan Schmidt (OG-1974) and Wartburg Academic All-American Kurt Boerm (DB-1987).        

[the_mayne_event]

Here's a tidbit regarding the Iowa HS FB Championships:  
North Tama is playing this afternoon for the Class A championship in the UNI dome.  Their game against Southern Cal is tied at 7 at half.  
North Tama's coaching staff includes Coe All-American Dan Schmidt (OG-1974) and Wartburg Academic All-American Kurt Boerm (DB-1987).        

they must be pretty tough to hold their own against a national powerhouse like SC

[Purple Heys]

Here's a tidbit regarding the Iowa HS FB Championships:  
North Tama is playing this afternoon for the Class A championship in the UNI dome.  Their game against Southern Cal is tied at 7 at half.  
North Tama's coaching staff includes Coe All-American Dan Schmidt (OG-1974) and Wartburg Academic All-American Kurt Boerm (DB-1987).        

they must be pretty tough to hold their own against a national powerhouse like SC

If they pull this off, maybe Pete Carroll will be available to UD.   

[kohawkfan]

Here's a tidbit regarding the Iowa HS FB Championships:  
North Tama is playing this afternoon for the Class A championship in the UNI dome.  Their game against Southern Cal is tied at 7 at half.  
North Tama's coaching staff includes Coe All-American Dan Schmidt (OG-1974) and Wartburg Academic All-American Kurt Boerm (DB-1987).        

they must be pretty tough to hold their own against a national powerhouse like SC

Uh, that would be Southern CALHOUN 

Southern Calhoun wins in OT 22-21 over N. Tama. 

[DutchFan2004]

The old swinging gate was used on the conversion to win that game.  The 8 man final was a good one as well.  Won in the last two minutes.  So two close games so far in the finals. 

[Klopenhiemer]

dutchfan1 & sportsknight:

I give up trying to figure this stuff out.  Some teams people just love to hate. Oklahoma, U of Miami, Georgetown (basketball), Oakland Raiders, NY Yankees, WDM Dowling and Wartburg.

Add Hawkeyes and Huskers to my list. You're still OK in my book though Warthog.

It would be nice of the other state school in Ames would at least be competitve.  I am not going to get into the Iowa vs. ISU debate.  I root for the Hawks during that game.  The rest of the season I pray that they both play well so that our state gets some recognition and we all dont look like a bunch of corn fed hicks. 

Iowa might get favorable attention but 120 miles seperates two teams heading in two different directions. 

[Klopenhiemer]

The UD team did take a step back this year from a won/loss view.  But different from past Spartan teams is they were still competitive with other teams.  No real blowouts.  It took a 45 yard FG with 1 minute left for Central to get by them.  They took Wartburg into OT.  Plus, as many on here have stated, past UD teams had bigger mouths that talent levels.  This Spartan team looked to keep their mouths shut and looked to have good sportsmanship. 

Others on here that have coaching contacts might know a different story.  Maybe coach B lost the team.  That does happen sometimes where a coach that has been with a team for a long time loses the players and they stop playing for him.  Maybe that is the case here, I don't know. 

I will be interested to see how they go about their coaching search.  They certainly have good facilities at UD now.  Whoever they bring in better have good recruiting contacts because there isn't a pipeline of local talent knocking on the doors of UD. 

All I can add is that after the Wartburg game I was walking by the visitor's locker room and through the closed doors heard someone that sounded like a coach getting completly bent. I could hear him clearly through the steel doors yelling quite loudly something about giving up. If that kind of chewing out after a loss was typical, maybe there was so backlash from the players. I obviously didn't stay and listen to the whole thing, and I know I'm only commenting on a few words, but I can say that the Spartan parents waiting for their sons were not happy.   

[/u][/b]

This is my only complaint at times with D3 is that it can be a bit like high school in some certian areas.  Parrents are pretty much given direct access to the coaching staff and can at times be waiting for their sons after the game in close proximity to the post game speech. 

I do not condone yelling as a way of teaching, but at times, you need to light a fire under some rear ends and bring their actions to the forefront.  These kids are all adults, recruited, and expected to preform.  Browbeating and slander are not motivational tools, but sometimes a man needs to get bent to get his point across.