CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today its major football awards and All-Conference team for the 2013 season. Wartburg College head coach Rick Willis has been named the 2013 IIAC Football Coach of the Year while the Knights had a league-best 11 named to the All-Conference teams.
 
2013 Iowa Conference Football Coach of the Year – Rick Willis, Wartburg College
Willis led the Knights to a 8-2 mark overall, the schools' first Iowa Conference title since 2010 – and 13th title overall – and a berth in the 2013 NCAA Division III Football Championship. Under his guidance this year, Wartburg ranked among the top-three in the Conference in 12 statistical areas including leading the IIAC in interceptions (7) and sacks (26) and ranking second in scoring defense (18.6 points per game), rushing offense (200.3 yards per game), pass defense efficiency (115.4), fewest sacks against (8) and field-goal percentage (5-of-6, 83.3 percent).
 
This is the third Iowa Conference Football Coach of the Year honor for Willis, who in his 15th season directing the Knights program. He also won the award in 1999 and 2010 and is one of four Wartburg coaches to have won the award (Lee Bondhus, 1968; Don Canfield, 1982-83; Bob Nielson, 1993), accounting for seven total honors.
 
2013 All-Iowa Conference Football Team
The IIAC also announced today the 2013 All-Conference Football Team. The 56-member Team (there was one tie on each team) includes 18 repeat All-Conference honorees, including five – Nelson, Coe offensive lineman Nathan Yelton, Luther defensive back Robby Jewell, Central placekicker Kevin Sheldon, Simpson return specialist Brad Vogel – who become three-time All-Conference performers. Each of the honors earned by Yelton, Sheldon and Vogel as a return specialist were first-team honors. Additionally, Vogel earned his second all-conference honor as a wide receiver, his regular position. He was an honorable mention in 2010 and a second-teamer a year ago as a receiver. Buena Vista freshman Tyler Stolen received first-team all-conference honors at both punter and placekicker, tying with Sheldon for the latter honor. Stolen is the first player to be selected first team at both punter and placekicker under the current format. The last player to be selected all-conference (regardless of team) as both a punter and placekicker in the same year was Buena Vista's Chris Kemmerer in 2006 (first-team PK, second-team P). Coe's Keaton Juergens was also honored twice by the coaches, being named to the second team as both a receiver and a return specialist.
 
Conference champion Wartburg had a league-best 11 players selected All-Iowa Conference – five on the first team, six on the second team. Wartburg's selections were also fairly evenly distributed on either side of the ball. There were four on offense, six on defense and a punter. Central and Coe followed with nine selections each, just ahead of Buena Vista and Dubuque with eight apiece and Simpson with seven. Luther received three all-conference nods and Loras had one.
 
 

2013 All-Iowa Conference Football
Offensive MVP - Taylor Nelson, sr., QB, Simpson
Defensive MVP - Danny Samson, sr., DL, Central
Coach of the Year - Rick Willis, Wartburg
First Team - Offense	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Taylor Nelson & $	Simpson	Sr.	QB	West Des Moines, Iowa / Valley
Bryan Bradshaw	Dubuque	Sr.	QB	Crystal Lake, Ill. / Prairie Ridge
Josh Osborn %	Central	Jr.	RB	Burlington, Iowa / Burlington
Kyle Acker	Dubuque	Sr.	RB	Waunakee, Wis. / Waunkee
Adam Cave	Buena Vista	Jr.	TE	Harlan, Iowa / Harlan
Tyler Rutenbeck	Dubuque	Jr.	WR	Maquoketa, Iowa / Maquoketa
Brad Vogel ~ $	Simpson	Sr.	WR	Donnellson, Iowa / Central Lee
Nathan Yelton ¥ #	Coe	Sr.	OL	Bloomington, Ill. / Central Catholic
Lathan Bass	Coe	Jr.	OL	Rockwell City, Iowa / Rockwell City-Lytton
Dominique Ravenell	Dubuque	Jr.	OL	Fort Worth, Texas / R.L. Raschal
Pat Thompson $	Simpson	Sr.	OL	Perry, Iowa / Perry
Chris Brinkmeier	Wartburg	Jr.	OL	Orangeville, Ill. / Orangeville
First Team - Defense	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Eric Larson $	Central	Jr.	DB	Waverly, Iowa / Waverly-Shell Rock
Robby Jewell & $	Luther	Sr.	DB	Decorah, Iowa / Decorah
Spencer Capitani	Wartburg	Jr.	DB	Northwood, Iowa / Northwood-Kensett
Jared Wauters	Wartburg	Sr.	DB	La Porte City, Iowa / Union Community
Brady Randall	Buena Vista	Sr.	LB	Storm Lake, Iowa / Alta
Mike Young $	Central	Sr.	LB	Country Club Hills, Ill. / Hillcrest
Blaine Snitker	Dubuque	So.	LB	Waukon, Iowa / Waukon
Ryan Billings #	Wartburg	Sr.	LB	Sterling, Ill. / Sterling
Danny Samson #	Central	Sr.	DL	Baxter, Iowa / Baxter
Jack Shipley	Central	Sr.	DL	Tipton, Iowa / Tipton
Mitch Montgomery $	Coe	Sr.	DL	Lisbon, Iowa / Lisbon
Ben Bentil %	Wartburg	Sr.	DL	Milwaukee, Wis. / Wisconsin Lutheran
First Team - Specialists	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Tyler Stolen	Buena Vista	Fr.	PK*	Sioux City, Iowa / Heelan
Kevin Sheldon ¥ #	Central	Jr.	PK*	West Des Moines, Iowa / Valley
Tyler Stolen	Buena Vista	Fr.	P	Sioux City, Iowa / Heelan
Brad Vogel ~ ¥ #	Simpson	Sr.	RS	Donnellson, Iowa / Central Lee
Second Team - Offense	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Bobby Brown	Buena Vista	Jr.	QB	Storm Lake, Iowa / Storm Lake
Gage Mohs	Coe	Sr.	RB	Fredericksburg, Iowa / Sumner-Fredericksburg
Josh Vos	Luther	Jr.	RB	Morrison, Ill. / Morrison
Brandon Domeyer	Wartburg	So.	RB	Manchester, Iowa / West Delaware
Jalen Henningsen	Buena Vista	So.	WR	Alta, Iowa / Alta-Aurelia
Keaton Juergens $	Coe	Sr.	WR	Elkader, Iowa / Central
Donald Miller	Wartburg	Jr.	WR	Maywood, Ill. / Romeoville
Matt Sefcik	Buena Vista	Sr.	OL	Alta, Iowa / Alta
Travis Hook	Central	Sr.	OL	Grundy Center, Iowa / Grundy Center
Andrew Waites	Luther	Sr.	OL	Pevely, Mo. / Herculaneum
Corey Meyer	Simpson	So.	OL	Iowa City, Iowa / West
Casey Krull	Wartburg	Jr.	OL	Allison, Iowa / North Butler
Second Team - Defense	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Jake Edleman	Central	Sr.	DB	Mechanicsville, Iowa / North Cedar
Antoine Allen-Jackson $	Coe	Sr.	DB	Aurora, Ill. / Oswego East
Reggie Cole	Dubuque	So.	DB	Milwaukee, Wis. / Wauwatosa West
Vincent Whipple	Dubuque	Jr.	DB	Eagle Grove, Iowa / Eagle Grove
Keith Rush ~ ¥	Central	Sr.	LB	Griswold, Iowa / Griswold
Dylan Youel	Coe	Sr.	LB	Traer, Iowa / North Tama
Ted Haag	Simpson	Sr.	LB	Waukee, Iowa / Waukee
Drew Kooi	Wartburg	Jr.	LB	Minooka, Ill. / Minooka
TJ Bruch $	Buena Vista	Sr.	DL	Arcadia, Iowa / Carroll Kuemper
Ryan Arnold	Dubuque	Sr.	DL	Kenosha, Wis. / Tremper
Clay Finley	Simpson	Jr.	DL	Muscatine, Iowa / Muscatine
Martin Hyatte	Wartburg	Sr.	DL	Rockford, Ill. / East
Second Team - Specialists	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Wes Anderson $	Coe	Sr.	PK	Newhall, Iowa / Benton Community
Grant Zimmerman #	Wartburg	So.	P	Mendota, Ill. / Mendota
Keaton Juergens	Coe	Sr.	RS*	Elkader, Iowa / Central
Danny Willis	Loras	Fr.	RS*	Morrison, Ill. / Morrison
Honorable Mention	School	Year	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Spencer Matlock	Central	Sr.	DL	Naperville, Ill. / Waubonsie Valley
Jason Breon	Central	Sr.	DB	Anamosa, Iowa / Anamosa
Lee Jones	Dubuque	Jr.	TE	Fairbanks, Alaska / North Pole
Dan Murray	Loras	Sr.	OL	Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South
Rich Vickers	Luther	Sr.	DB	Greene, Iowa / North Butler
Colin White %	Luther	Sr.	DL	Glenwood, Iowa / Glenwood
Aric Elton	Luther	So.	LB	Spring Grove, Minn. / Spring Grove
Andrew Turnacliff ^	Luther	Sr.	OL	Northfield, Minn. / Northfield
Michael Chia	Simpson	Sr.	RB	Indianola, Iowa / Indianola
Nate Conneally	Simpson	Jr.	WR	Council Bluffs, Iowa / Lewis Central
Johnnie Sims %	Simpson	Jr.	DL	New Sharon, Iowa / North Mahaska
Joey Naig	Wartburg	Sr.	DL	Emmetsburg, Iowa / Emmetsburg
Taylor Jacobsmeier	Wartburg	Sr.	QB	Wapello, Iowa / Wapello
Previous Honors
# - 2012 First Team All-Conference
$ - 2012 Second Team All-Conference
% - 2012 Honorable Mention
¥ - 2011 First Team All-Conference
& - 2011 Second Team All-Conference
^ - 2011 Honorable Mention
~ - 2010 Honorable Mention