Iowa Western

[Clone83]

The comment below about a Nebraska walk-on from Algona is of interest.

Wegener taking rare step: Reivers to Big Red
https://www.nonpareilonline.com/spo...cle_4686b060-3a1d-5f04-b934-bc763f068e10.html

For two reasons, Josh Wegener’s decision to walk on to the Nebraska football team carries more intrigue than most.

First, the Iowa Western standout was named the No. 1 junior-college center in the nation by JCGridiron.com. Additionally, the Huskers through the years have avoided Reiver players like the plague. (The only other one to land in Lincoln is reserve offensive lineman Brian Perez, who spent 2017 in Council Bluffs as a reserve tight end.)

The Iowa Western coaches believe Wegener, a 6-foot-2, 300-pound Algona, Iowa, native, is well-equipped to handle the scrutiny.

“From our standpoint, there isn’t a better player that we’d like to send down that way for that staff to evaluate,’’ said Donnie Woods, Iowa Western’s offensive coordinator and offensive-line coach. . . .

When they first started their football program, I believe former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne served as a consultant. If I recall correctly, this was after he was a U.S. Congressman, and then lost in a primary bid to become Nebraska governor. Not long after though I believe he went back to become Nebraska AD as things were on a downward trend with the football program there. I believe the seed money to get the IWCC football program started was provided by an Omaha businessman who was one of the country’s first and most successful mall developers. If I accurately recall early articles in the Nonpareil about all this, it would have been expected that many players might go on from IWCC to play in Lincoln. There was even speculation that perhaps Osborne would coach, I believe, as he was consulting, and as it didn’t seem at the time (probably at all) that he would go back to AD. In any case, I believe, there were expected to be strong ties to the other side of the river.

 

[dafarmer]

Another football team the taxpayers in Iowa supports(IWCC), while we don't have funds for secondary education. Community colleges were built for educating students not ready for major universities or for jobs requiring skills not taught in high school.

 

[Clone83]

Related articles from a simple search on:

Iowa western community college tom osborne

Wiebe: A successful developer who shared generously
https://www.nonpareilonline.com/bus...cle_b577c848-39fa-5965-853b-950e348c50e5.html

The generosity of Omaha real estate developer John A. Wiebe and Iowa Western Community College’s announcement that legendary Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne would help the college start a football program led to his gift of property to Iowa Western Community College.

“Mr. Wiebe has been a long-time admirer of Tom Osborne and his TeamMates program,” IWCC President Dan Kinney said when the donation was announced on Aug. 15, 2007. “When he saw that Tom Osborne had agreed to serve as an advisor to our football program, that sparked his interest.”

Kinney said Wiebe contacted him in June (2007) suggesting the two men meet.

Those discussions culminated in August 2007, when Wiebe presented the deed for the 105-acre tract to Kinney with no strings attached. In September 2007, Heartland Properties appraised the property at $18 million. . . . . .

This is what a JUCO football powerhouse looks like
https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/10/27/7071949/iowa-western-hutchinson-juco-football

Shatel: Huskers could take lessons — and players — from Iowa Western
http://www.goreivers.com/sports/fball/2017-18/releases/20171212et468o

Tom Osborne, Troy Walters among big names at Iowa Western coaching clinic
https://www.omaha.com/sports/midlan...cle_dab370e0-597a-5502-8614-52b748be8e1a.html

[2-16-2019, includes Nate Scheelhaase (Iowa State)]

 

[clone34]

Tom Osborne has done an amazing job with the mentor ship program around western Iowa and Nebraska. It pairs a successful businessman or businesswoman with an at risk kid. Just to show the kids that people care. It has been a huge success.

The incredible athletic accomplishments done at Iowa western is staggering. Every program men or women’s have a chance to win national championships every year. They do an incredible job with athletics at IWCC. Facilities are great and getting built every year the land Iowa Weatern owns is a gold mine sitting there right off of I-80. Couple hundred acres worth. Iwcc pushes a bunch of kids thru and on to bigger or sometimes just other 4 year schools. It must be impossible to recruit. They only get at elite kids that didn’t qualify or the leftovers. Rough go. Great coaches at IWCC.

 

[Clone83]

They are good at a lot of sports. They were good at baseball when I lived near there (a long time ago), and of course, were the first northern team to win the JUCO World Series (in like 45 years) a few years ago.

 

[BCClone]

Their coach was the NIACC coach before NIACC killed their program. In about two years he turned that team around from a couple decades of poor football to maybe on the cusp of what IWCC is doing.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Another football team the taxpayers in Iowa supports(IWCC), while we don't have funds for secondary education. Community colleges were built for educating students not ready for major universities or for jobs requiring skills not taught in high school.

This opinion is ridiculously uninformed.

I can guarantee you tax money isn't being used to support their athletics operations. I can also guarantee you Iowa Western isn't losing money on athletics - especially football.

If you want to complain about funding for secondary education, how about eliminating public high school sports? That'll actually make a difference in funding available for secondary education.

 

[tolfbfan]

This opinion is ridiculously uninformed.

I can guarantee you tax money isn't being used to support their athletics operations. I can also guarantee you Iowa Western isn't losing money on athletics - especially football.

If you want to complain about funding for secondary education, how about eliminating public high school sports? That'll actually make a difference in funding available for secondary education.

Say it ain't so. If that ever happens, set the date and visiting hours. I'll probably stroke out.

 

[dafarmer]

This opinion is ridiculously uninformed.

I can guarantee you tax money isn't being used to support their athletics operations. I can also guarantee you Iowa Western isn't losing money on athletics - especially football.

If you want to complain about funding for secondary education, how about eliminating public high school sports? That'll actually make a difference in funding available for secondary education.

BS. I had a sister on the faculty. Lewis Centrals turf football field was funded partly by IWCC. The new Gym was not paid for by student fees. Their athletic facilities didn't appear out of mid-air.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

BS. I had a sister on the faculty. Lewis Centrals turf football field was funded partly by IWCC. The new Gym was not paid for by student fees. Their athletic facilities didn't appear out of mid-air.

"The center is estimated to cost the college $15,775,000 to build.

A combination of student fees that have been saved over the course of several years by the college, in addition to private fundraising, will cover the funds needed in order to build the center."

from https://www.omaha.com/livewellnebra...cle_a3ce3690-a85e-11e6-8d83-6b23efefc829.html

 

[dafarmer]

Wouldn't make sense to use student fees to help educational programs. Maybe tutors and mentors to help grades.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Wouldn't make sense to use student fees to help educational programs. Maybe tutors and mentors to help grades.

"Roughly 74 percent of students said that campus recreation facilities helped influence their decisions to continue attending their chosen college, according to Iowa Western.

Accordingly, Kinney said a new recreational facility is a major recruitment effort for the college.

Research shows that students who participate in recreational activities perform better in the classroom, too.

“A wellness center seems like the next logical next step to help our students with a well-rounded education,” Kinney said."

From the exact same article. By the way, that building was built for non-competitive sports (i.e., normal students). It doesn't look like their basketball gym has had anything done to it for ten years (an expansion).

 

[CycloneWanderer]

Say it ain't so. If that ever happens, set the date and visiting hours. I'll probably stroke out.

Yeah, it would be a strange world if that happens. I just find it fascinating a guy like dafarmer will come into a thread like this and talk **** about a topic he doesn't know anything about. He wants to complain about taxpayer money going to athletics instead of academics in a thread about an athletic program that doesn't receive tax dollars. It's bizarre.

 

[heitclone]

Wouldn't make sense to use student fees to help educational programs. Maybe tutors and mentors to help grades.

You have any clue the upgrades that have happened on that campus the last 10-15 years? IWCC has benefited big time from grants from the Iowa West foundation, much of that money has been dedicated to academics and the fine arts. They've built new buildings both academic and recreational, added many new academic programs , new sports programs, new dorms, tech labs etc...The athletic upgrades just a part of the campus-wide improvements that started nearly 20 years ago. These improvements have helped thousands of Iowa residents that never put on a jersey.

 

[dafarmer]

with tax money, or why are we required to vote for tax levies. Dr. Kinney is not popular with all the faculty. Look at all the branch offices scattered in Western Iowa and how little use some of them get. Local one has at most 2 classes in it. Yes I can see all the upgrades, I can drive by them every day.

 

[CycloneWanderer]

with tax money, or why are we required to vote for tax levies. Dr. Kinney is not popular with all the faculty. Look at all the branch offices scattered in Western Iowa and how little use some of them get. Local one has at most 2 classes in it. Yes I can see all the upgrades, I can drive by them every day.

If you've been around academia you should understand that there is no collegiate president anywhere that is popular with all the faculty.

Besides, he's been there 25 years. You'd think if he were doing a bad job they'd have canned him before now.

 

[Lineup]

Tom Osborne the biggest crook in football