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Monday, March 06, 2006

Central football clinic moves to June


PELLA-Bob Howard, head coach of reigning state 2A champion Sigourney High School, Williamsburg High School coach Curt Ritchie and college hall of famer Ron Schipper headline the Central College Football Coaching Clinic June 16.
Making a move from its traditional spring date on the calendar, the clinic is open to coaches at all levels, according to Central head coach Jeff McMartin. Cost is $25.
The clinic begins at 5:30 p.m. in Central's Maytag Student Center, after registration and a pizza social. Howard and Schipper will make the keynote presentations, followed by offensive and defensive breakout sessions featuring Central coaching staff members and high school coaches, concluding at 9 p.m.
Howard, a Central graduate, has compiled a glossy 244-52-0 record in 28 seasons as head coach at Sigourney-Keota and Scranton high schools, including a 224-47-0 mark while at Sigourney.
Ritchie has guided teams to the state high school playoffs at three different levels. He's been at Williamsburg five seasons and guided the Raiders to the state Class 3A semifinals last fall.
Schipper, Central's coach from 1961-96, is among the winningest mentors in college football history with a 287-67-3 record (.808), with an NCAA record 36 consecutive winning seasons, 18 Iowa Conference championships and 12 NCAA Division III playoff berths. A former president of the 8,000-member American Football Coaches Association, Schipper was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind. in 2000.
McMartin is entering his third year leading Central's program. He received Iowa Conference coach of the year honors after piloting a young Dutch squad to a surprising 9-1 regular-season record, capturing a share of the school's 27th league championship and an NCAA playoff berth. A Central graduate, McMartin previously served on staffs at Wake Forest (N.C.), DePauw (Ind.), Beloit (Wis.), Rochester (N.Y.) and Illinois Wesleyan.
For clinic registration information, contact McMartin at (641) 628-7609