Six of Iowa’s all-time great players and four coaches will be honored at the halftime of the Class 4A State Championship game, Friday, November 18 at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association’s 32nd annual inductions include the late Paul (Tiny) Engebretsen from Chariton; Perry Sibenaller of Harlan Community; Judd Sather from Spencer; Chad Guthrie of Newton; Michael Roan from Iowa City, City High; and Ben Bruns who played for Denver.
Coaches who will be inducted into the Iowa Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame are New Hampton’s Scott Frerichs; David Sturm from Greene; and the late Gary Stamp of Lisbon. The Association will also honor retired coach Bill Kibby with the Walt Fiegel Coaching with Character Award.
Profiles of the honorees follow.
IHSAA PLAYERS’ HALL OF FAME
PAUL (TINY) ENGEBRETSEN, Chariton: Earning 15 athletic letters in four sports, he was one of Iowa’s most gifted athletes in his era. The 1927 Chariton graduate was a four-year starter and was hailed by legendary writer Jack North as “a great blocker and the toughest center in the state.” A multiple all-state player, he also anchored a stalwart defense that did not yield a touchdown en route to an undefeated season his senior year. He played his prep career standing 5-9 and at varying weights before growing into a 6-1, 240-pound collegiate and NFL player. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1931 after lettering three years, his line skills helping the Wildcats to a co-Big Ten title his senior year, when he was named second team all-conference and chosen for the East-West All-Star game. He added placekicking to his resume in the NFL and had a storied career with the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. Playing mainly in the offensive line, he started for Coach Georg
e Halas’ Chicago team that won the 1932 World Championship. He signed with Green Bay and Coach Curly Lambeau in 1934 and played in three more World Championship games, including victories in 1936 and 1939. In 1939, he was named All-Pro as a placekicker, booting 18 of 19 PATs and four field goals. He ended a 10-year professional career in 1941. He scouted for the Packers before returning to Chariton to operate a game farm with his family. In 1970, Northwestern University honored him as one of its all-time greats. He was enshrined in the Green Bay Packers’ Hall of Fame 1978. He passed away in 1979.
PERRY SIBENALLER, Harlan Community: One of the trademarks of Harlan Community football has been fundamentals and mental toughness. Within that team scheme is a heavy reliance on the offensive line and the defensive corps – the no-name guys who get the job done. Sibenaller was the prototype of the player Coach Curt Bladt built his program around. He was a hard-hitting linebacker and tight end who earned all-conference honors twice and was named to the Elite All-State Defensive team as a senior, when he captained the Cyclones. In HCHS’s patented hand-it-off scheme, tight ends are an extension of the offensive line and critical blockers, before being a receiver and he more than filled the bill. During his prep career, Harlan Community took second in the state playoffs in 1981 and recorded back-to-back undefeated championship seasons in 1982 and 1983. All told, he played on teams that posted a 34-2 mark, recording 11 shutouts and allowing just a single touchdown in 15 other games. The 1983 team did not allow a point in the playoffs. He also starred in the 1984 Shrine Bowl. His success and hard-nosed reputation did not stop in high school. He played four seasons and was a three-year starter at the University of South Dakota, where he earned his B.S. degree. Shaking off injuries, he helped lead USD to NCAA Division II playoff appearances in 1985 and 1986, when Coach Dave Triplett’s team was the national runner-up. He began working in the transportation industry after graduating and is currently Vice President of Risk Management for Trans Am Trucking. He and his family live in Overland Park, KS.
JUDD SATHER, Spencer: Mr. Versatility likely was Sather’s middle name on the gridiron. The all-around athlete was the epitome of a triple-threat player as a quarterback, placekicker and punter on offense and a tough defensive back. He started on Coach Gary Swenson’s Spencer teams from 1987 through 1989, when the Tigers lost only once in the regular season and were 27-4 with three playoff appearances. In 1988 and 1989, they advanced to the semifinals. He won all-state honors his junior and senior seasons, including Elite All-State recognition as a defensive back in 1989, when he also was an honorable mention All-American and was picked for the Shrine Bowl. He was his team’s MVP that year and earned Academic All-State honors from the Iowa Football Coaches Association. He totaled over 1,000 yards of offense and was one of the state’s top placekickers as a senior, when he also pilfered seven passes and recovered two fumbles. He attended St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, where
he was a four-year starter. A two-time all-conference selection, he was one of the top punters and tacklers in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for three seasons. As a senior, he ranked fifth nationally in NCAA Division III punting (40.6) and was a top tackler, earning Special Mention All-America recognition as a linebacker, free safety and punter. Following his graduation, he played semi-pro football in Minnesota and professional baseball in Europe. From 1994-2011, he taught mathematics and coached football and baseball at St. Paul North High School. He currently owns and operates a photography studio in Stillwater, MN, where he and his family make their home.
CHAD GUTHRIE, Newton: In the Cardinals’ vaunted ground-and-pound ball possession offense, Guthrie was an important cog. Coach John Jenkins’ program was demanding and competitive, with three-year starters a rarity. The fleet-footed, elusive and powerful Guthrie transformed two years in the starting backfield into a solid prep career that included playoff trips in 1987 and 1988, when the Cardinals were the Class 4A runner-up to Bettendorf in a game that matched two 12-0 teams. In that title contest, he tallied two second quarter touchdowns in a five-minute span to give the Cardinals a 12-7 halftime lead. One was an 82-yard scoring burst that is still a Class 4A championship record. He was an Elite All-State running back and was named Iowa Player of the Year by Street and Smith magazine, which accorded him prep All-America status. He rang up state 4A bests of 1,965 rushing yards, 38 touchdowns and 222 points as a senior. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 12 of the 13 games and had six TDs in a single game. His career totals of nearly 2,400 rushing yards and 53 scoring trips still are school records. He decided to play at Northeast Missouri State University in Kirksville, MO where he became a 1991 NCAA Division II All-American. He was an all-conference selection for three seasons. His 4,146 rushing yards ranks third best in school history, while his single-season total of 1,649 yards in 1991 ranks second, as does his 19 touchdowns in 1992. Today, he is director of sales and marketing for Pegasus Lectures, Inc., which provides continuing medical education in ultrasound. He lives in Allen, TX.
MICHAEL ROAN, Iowa City, City High: Larry Brown, his high school coach, called him “one of the smartest players he every coached and so unselfish he could be moved anywhere to help the team and did everything we asked of him.” As a result, sometimes statistics miss the value of the individual. He played all four years in high school and lived up to Brown’s observations, starting on both sides of the ball as a junior and senior at fullback, tight end and the defensive line. Those years launched the Little Hawks’ playoff run, which missed only two subsequent seasons. He was all-conference his final two years and was named first-team All-State as a defensive lineman his senior campaign. He also started in basketball and was the leading rebounder on the 1989 state championship team and the 1990 runner-up. Wisconsin football emerged from the recruiting process. He was a four-year starter for the Badgers at tight end and part of a class that turned around the program under Barry A
lvarez, including victories in the 1994 Rose Bowl and the 1995 Hall of Fame Bowl. At tight end, he enhanced the offensive line and could stretch defenses with key possession receptions. He was taken in the fourth round of the 1995 NFL Draft by Houston and played six seasons for the Oilers/Tennessee Titans, including the 1999 AFC Championship and Super Bowl XXXIV. For the last nine years, he has been an athletic director, teacher and leadership adviser at El Molino High School in Northern California, a school he served seven years as the head football coach. He and his reside in Sebastopol, CA.
BEN BRUNS, Denver: “His work ethic allowed him to improve virtually each day, knowing that it would help his teammates become better.” Those are the words of his high school coach, Mark Guenther. A three-year letter winner in Denver’s offensive and defensive lines, his senior season was golden as he helped the 11-2 Cyclones to their first state title. A strong blocker, he was a consensus First-Team All-State player and member of the all-class Elite Defensive Team. He was the Class 1A Player of the Year, an honor often reserved for a running back. He also was chosen for the Shrine Bowl. In addition, he was in band and chorus; was a four-time academic letter winner; lettered in track and was a four- time letter winner in wrestling, qualifying for the 1996 state tournament. At Iowa State, he became one of the most decorated and successful players in Cyclone history. As a senior in 2000, he led an O-line that allowed only seven sacks and helped the Cyclones generate over 400 yard
s a game. A victory in the Insight.com Bowl capped that 9-3 season. He was chosen first-team All-Big 12, third-team All-America was named to the Big 12 All-Academic team. His degree in construction engineering led to a position as a project engineer for Weitz Company in Des Moines. Among his many projects were the renovations at Jack Trice Stadium and the new ISU football facility that broke ground this fall. He is a sideline analyst for Iowa State football broadcasts and is a volunteer coach with the offensive line at Valley, WDM, where he has helped the Tigers to four state titles. He is active in several youth and charity groups in Central Iowa. He and his family live in Des Moines.
IOWA FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME
SCOTT FRERICHS, New Hampton: With a 27 year career in coaching football he recently completed his 19th as a head coach (all at New Hampton). He has orchestrated a 127-60 record with his teams winning six District titles and qualifying for the state playoffs 12 times. His 1999 team won the Class 3A Championship and his 1994 team went through the regular season undefeated. A three-time district coach-of-the-year he was named the State Coach of the Year in 2009. Active in the IFCA, he has served as an assistant coach at the All Star Shrine Bowl. He teaches high school mathematics in addition to his head football and track duties, along with supervising the weight room. A graduate of Le Mars High School, he earned his degree at the University of Northern Iowa.
GARY STAMP, Lisbon: After graduating from Iowa State University he coached football 35 years – 22 as a head coach with stops at Midland, Wyoming; Lincoln, Stanwood; Olin; Lisbon; and Tipton. His teams won 112 games, including a 51-23 mark at Lisbon. He produced three conference and two district title teams while taking Lisbon to the playoffs in 1995 and returning with Tipton in 2002 and 2003, when the Tigers won all nine regular season games. A winner of numerous coach-of-the-year awards, he was active in the IFCA, serving on the board of directors and the membership committee. He retired from football in 2003. He also coached softball for 27 years, most recently at Mount Vernon, and posted 550 career wins. He was a head baseball coach for 14 seasons, winning a state title at Lisbon in 1994. He was a wrestling official for 42 years and frequently worked the State Tournament. He passed away in October following a battle with cancer.
DAVID STURM, Greene: A native of Clearfield and a 1970 graduate of Northwest Missouri State University, his football coaching career spanned 36 years. He spent 30 years as a head coach and authored a career record of 167-106. He started with a three season stint at Keota and from 1977 until his retirement in 2003 he coached Greene to an impressive 165-81 mark that included three conference titles and two district championships. Known for being a strong fundamentalist, he took the Rams to seven playoff appearances from 1981 to 2002. Six times his teams were eliminated by an opponent that eventually made the semifinals with two moving into the championship game. He continues to live in Greene.
WALT FIEGEL COACHING WITH CHARACTER AWARD
BILL KIBBY: A colleague described him as “the type of coach every parent would want their kid to play for.” A fine athlete at Lohrville, he played on Iowa State’s Dirty 30 team in 1959 and later played at Central College where he earned his degree in 1962. He retired after the 2010 season with a career mark of 240-177-2. He spent nearly a half a century in football with 47 years as a head coach. Only four other men coached more years and his victories place him in the top 20 all time. He started in 1962 as a teacher and assistant football coach at Bayard, before moving in 1964 to Johnston as a teacher, athletic director and football coach. From 1967 to 1988 he was the head coach at St. Edmond, Fort Dodge and from 1988 through 2010 he coached and was an athletic administrator at Jefferson-Scranton. He directed three St. Edmond teams and 10 Jefferson-Scranton clubs into the playoffs. He is in the Iowa Football Coaches Association and Iowa Association of Athletic Directors’ Ha
lls of Fame. A multiple coach-of-the-year winner in football and track, he remains active in the IFBCA’s work. A Bernie Saggau Award of Merit winner he has also been active in IHSAA committee work. Moreover throughout his career he has been cited for his community service efforts on behalf of youth and his efforts with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
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