(Avoca) The grass is always greener on the other side, and thus Jim Wharton ended up starting his teaching and coaching career in Iowa.
The Northwest Missouri State grad notes Iowa schools were paying more at the time. His first job was at Fremont-Mills, netting a $3,900 per year salary to begin with. “I came across the line to Iowa for a teaching position at Fremont-Mills. I started out with junior high and assistant high school coaching and junior high teaching. So that’s basically how I got started and they were paying a little more in Iowa, but believe or not I think the first year I started was $3,900 for the year so you can see that I wasn’t planning on getting rich.”
After a two year stint with the Knights he moved on to Earlham. Three years later he moved to Avoca. Being a Viking stuck. “You think when you start coaching you’re going to move every three or four years. That’s just the plan, but we got here and we had such community support. The athletes were great. It was a fun environment to coach in. Our kids started school here and it just continued. Usually you get fired after two or three years, but I don’t know they must’ve figured to just stick with me. It’s been a good community. It was tremendous backing from the parents and kids.”
He admits he inherited a program in good condition. “They were really good before I got here.” Wharton recalls, “They were undefeated a couple of years before I got here. So when I came I think they were looking to be down a little bit, but those first two years I was here we only lost a game or two. It just kind of continued. The support was good, the athletes were good, and it was just a fun place to be.”
His philosophy was simple. The team that makes the fewest mistakes usually wins. “I’ve always said that if you’re an average football team and you don’t make mistakes or give the ball away you’re going to win more than half your games and I really believe that. You watch the games that are played and the teams that lose games make silly mistakes. They jump offsides in critical situations, fumble the ball, and do things to cost themselves. If you’re controlled and take care of things you’ll win a lot of football games.”
Wharton was around before the playoff system came about. “I was not a fan of the playoffs. We had our conferences and we had these rivalries which was great. The towns would get up in arms.” Wharton says, “Instead of one team being happy in each class there were tons of them all over the state that they had won their conference and gone undefeated or whatever. I was never a fan of the playoffs, but I understand why they do them.”
Wharton compiled a 202-76-1 record in 28 seasons between Earlham and AvoHa. He oversaw the Vikings state runner-up finish in 1991 and state championship in 1974. “It was a lot of fun. We played our championship game in Jefferson, Iowa. Not to say anything against Jefferson, Iowa, but now they play in the dome which is great. That’s one thing we missed. It was a great game. The kids played great. The community was very excited when we got home. It was a great event.”
Coincidentally they also went undefeated in 1973, but didn’t make it into the playoff field. “We were undefeated the year after the playoffs started, but because of the system they used to determine who was in the playoffs we did not get to play. The following year we were in the playoffs and won the first championship. I always felt that the team we had before was just as good or better than the team that won the championship. I always kind of wondered how we would have done if we could have played the championship the first year we were undefeated.”
When asked how long he coached, Wharton responded “too long.” He started in 1966 and hung it up in 1996. Football was his main gig but he also helped in basketball and wrestling.
Previous Coaches
(Click to listen)
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Jason Mehrhoff, Anita Native (Carlisle)
Eric Hjelle, Elk Horn-Kimballton grad (Underwood)
Brett Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum (Waukee Northwest)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Marc Bierbaum, Griswold grad and Iowa Western track/cross country assistant
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Curt Schulte, Harlan graduate (Glenwood)
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Dan Schleisman, Shelby-Tennant and Treynor
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
Josh Abel, (Walnut grad), Tri-Center
