|
|
Head Football Coach 2008 - Present
Offensive Coordinator
Assistant Professor
Max Hawsey took over duties as Grinnell's football coach in January 2008, replacing longtime coach Greg Wallace.
Hawsey came from Colorado College, where since 2003 he had served as offensive coordinator, offensive line coach, strength and conditioning coordinator, and supervisor of the school's weight room and fitness center. He previously served seven years as an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Austin College in Texas.
CC showed immediate improvements on offense during Hawsey's first year there, averaging 421 yards and 27 points per game up from 276 yards and 17 points per game in 2002. The offense produced an All-America quarterback who averaged 370 yards per game of total offense, which was second in NCAA Division III. The offense continued to excel during Hawsey's five-year tenure by breaking a total of 15 offensive school records that included passing, rushing, and total offense. Some of the more impressive team records include 711 yards of total offense, 580 rushing yards and 470 yards passing in a game. A few of the more notabable individual records are 457 yards passing in a game, 344 yards rushing in a game and 584 yards of total offense in a game.
In 2006 and 2007, the offense averaged over 30 points per game and over 400 yards per game. The offense finished ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III in third down conversions (53 percent) in 2007. Hawsey has mentored two 1,000-yard rushers at quarterback while the offensive line gave up an average of one sack per game while attempting 33 passes per game. In 2007, the offense finished second in the SCAC in rushing and produced seven All-SCAC players as well as D3football.com first-team All-American tight end Nolan Swett, who led all tight ends in receptions with 65.
While at Austin College Hawsey coached running backs, tight ends, linebackers, and eventually settled in to coaching the offensive line. While coaching linebackers in 1997, AC's defense finished in the top three in a number of major categories, while the linebackers led the defense in tackles and sacks per game. While coaching the offensive line from 1999 to 2002, the offense consistently ranked in the top two in rushing yards per game and produced the conference's leading rusher (1,550 total yards) in 2000 when AC finished 7-3 in the tough American Southwest Conference.
As a player at Austin College, Hawsey was a first-team all-conference performer at outside linebacker twice. He served as team captain and was voted most valuable player and male athlete of the year his senior year. During that season, he was second-team All-America and led the nation in sacks.
Hawsey and his wife, Sara, have three children - Marion (5), Hunter (3) and Natalie (1).
Tim Hollibaugh - Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach
Tim Hollibaugh is the team's assistant head coach and coaches the team's defensive line. He begins his 14th season as an assistant football coach at Grinnell. Hollibaugh joined the Pioneer football staff in 1994 as receivers coach and moved to the defensive side of the ball as coach of the secondary in 1997.
In 1998, Hollibaugh took over the defense and moved it from the middle of the conference to second in total defense, allowing only 278 yards per game, en route to the 1998 Midwest Conference Championship.
Hollibaugh is a graduate of Hanover College with a double major in physical education and sociology. At Hanover, he was a two-sport athlete in football and baseball. He holds a master's degree in physical education from Indiana State University.
Hollibaugh is also head coach of the Grinnell baseball team and holds faculty rank as an associate professor. He and his wife Alison have three children, Ryan (8), Blake (6) and Lindsey (3).
Jeff Pedersen '02 - Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Coach
Jeff Pedersen '02 returns to Grinnell College after serving on the Pioneers' staff from 2003-2006. Pedersen is a Grinnell graduate, earning a degree in history in 2002 after which he earned his master's degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy. Besides his football duties, Pedersen will also serve as director of the College's Fitness Center.
Pedersen most recently served as offensive coordinator and head strength and conditioning coach at The Catholic University of America. He also served as tight ends and wide receivers coach at the school from 2006-2007. Prior to that while at Grinnell, Pedersen served as the Pioneers' offensive coordinator, head strength and conditioning coach and Fitness Center director. Before that, Pedersen was an assistant coach at the University of Chicago for the 2002 season.
A two-time All-America tight end while playing at Grinnell, Pedersen set school records for receptions in a single season. He was also a four-time All-Midwest Conference performer and a participant in the 2001 Division III Aztec Bowl, which pitted D-III All-Stars against the top players in Mexico.
Nick Merklin '08 - Defensive Backs Coach
Merklin wrapped up a stellar career with the Pioneer football team last fall in which he earned All-Midwest Conference honors at two positions, first-team on special teams and second-team at receiver. He started 38 games in his career and three times earned academic all-conference recognition. As a senior, Merklin was fourth in the league in all-purpose yards with 153.9 per game. A versatile performer throughout his career, Merklin finished with four-year totals of 81 pass receptions for 981 yards as well as 133 tackles.
Nolan Swett - Wide Receivers Coach
Nolan Swett enters his first season as a coach at Grinnell College. A native of Tucson, Ariz.., Swett was a four-year starter at tight end for Colorado College and broke virtually every receiving record there. He is the career leader for receptions (199), yards (2,626) and touchdowns (31). He completed his senior season by being named to the All-SCAC first-team and was a first-team All-America selection by D3football.com. Swett, a team captain and two-time All-Colorado pick, led all tight ends last fall with 65 receptions.
Cody Robertson - Offensive Line Coach
Cody Robertson enters his first season as a coach at Grinnell College. In three years as a starter at Colorado College, Robertson was part of an offensive line that consistently ranked nationally in fewest sacks allowed and helped set the tone for an explosive offensive attack that rewrote the school's record books. A history major, he was an All-Colorado and All-SCAC selection in his career.
Randy Reavis - Tight Ends Coach
Nino Parker - Running Backs Coach
DL Stevens '07 - Defensive Assistant Coach
|
News Headlines: |
|
|
|
|
