July 27, 2008
(release courtesy of Mark Adkins, Wartburg College sports information director)

WAVERLY, IOWA . . . The new boss is the same as the old boss, as former Wartburg College football coach Rick Willis resumes control of the program following the resignation of head coach Eric Koehler.

Willis relinquished coaching duties in 2005 after compiling a 79-17 record and gaining four NCAA playoff berths to become athletics director. He takes over from Koehler, his former assistant, who has accepted the offensive coordinator position at Grand Valley State in Michigan.

Grand Valley State is a traditional Division II powerhouse. Wartburg is in Division III and has been ranked as high as No. 13 in pre-season football polls.

Wartburg Vice-President of Administration Gary Grace announced the appointment this evening.

“When we hired Rick as the head football coach in 1997, we had great confidence in him,” Grace said. “And, obviously, with his outstanding record of success, we have tremendous confidence in him today.”

“I’m excited about returning to the head football position,” Willis said. “I feel good about the transition due to our outstanding staff and a veteran team that returns. I am very familiar with many of the players, especially the senior class which was recruited while I was previously the head coach.”

Wartburg College President William Hamm said, “While the timing of this coaching change could have created a very worrisome situation, we’re extremely fortunate to have Rick Willis lead the football program again. Rick has been one of the nation’s leading Division III football coaches. We expect that this will be a seamless transition, given that Rick laid the foundation for the recent success of the football program, which Eric Koehler had inherited from him.”

Willis led Wartburg to its first set of three consecutive Iowa Conference championships and also had an undefeated and league championship team in 1999. He guided the program to NCAA Division III national playoff berths in 1999, 2002, 2003, and 2004. While athletics director, Wartburg’s total athletics program was in the top 25 of the United States Sports Academy’s Division III Director’s Cup, finishing eighth overall in 2007-08 with an Iowa Conference-best 722-point effort.

Willis’ assistant staff will feature Tim Morrison ’98 as offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator; Joel Dettwiler as defensive coordinator; Chris Winter ’04 as defensive backs coach and head strength and conditioning coordinator for the athletic department; former multi-time 1,000-yard rusher Dan Hammes ’06 as running backs coach; former NFL Europe and Canadian Football League player Marcus West as defensive line coach, along with Jeff Beck, Jerry Albert, Paul Mugan, Mike Dotseth, and Scott Suhr.

“It’s great to have so many of the same people in place to assist in running the program,” Willis said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for these individuals and will rely heavily on all of them as we work through this transition.”

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