(Logan) Audubon graduate Matt Kiger followed in the coaching footsteps of his father.
His dad Dean had a great run with the Wheelers in baseball and wrestling among others. “With me growing up he was coaching 3-4 sports. I’d spend my summers down at the ball diamond because he did both little league and high school baseball. He watched film for football and I’d get a chance to go see some of that. And of course wrestling, we went to about every wrestling tournament. So just watching him in action and then I wanted to go into teaching which goes hand in hand with coaching. Coaching is just an extension of teaching. So that’s what really peaked my interest. It just seemed like an avenue I wanted to go.”
While baseball may have been his best sport to play and wrestling is where he won a state championship, Kiger has enjoyed coaching football perhaps the most. That’s because of the impact you can have from the sideline. “You’re the one making the play call and seeing that success play upon play. It’s kind of like a chess match. You create a play to try and make a play work later on. That’s what is really kind of fun about coaching the sport of football. That’s a sport you have one of the biggest hands in as a coach to help out the game. As a wrestling coach you teach them the stuff in the room, but on the mat they aren’t really hearing you. They are going out and going through their thing. You just manage clock and things like that. You can’t do a lot with wrestling. Baseball is about the same way.”
Kiger served as head wrestling coach at Winterset in the past, but is now with the Logan-Magnolia Panthers where he helps with football and wrestling. For the time being he’s happy with being a little bit less encompassed by everything. “I think I learned in my eight years as head coach that I’m a much better assistant coach than I am a head coach.” Kiger says, “I kind of like my role now with my kids in junior high and high school. I like the idea of being a volunteer or assistant. As a volunteer I can show up when the coach needs me to be there, but I can still get away to go watch my children performing.”
He admits the challenges of coaching can change every year and there are many highs and lows. “It’s been one of the best times of my life and it can be one of the worst times of my life. It’s ever changing and it’s great to learn from. I’m still learning and evaluating and deciding how to do things different and how to do things better. Even as a volunteer coach I just love it for the fact that I get a chance now to watch my kids. Watching my son wrestle this last year has been an absolute blessing for me. Now my daughter is coming up and she seems to love softball. Watching what they do and seeing the enjoyment they can get from sports. You hope that every kid can get that.”
Kiger’s career began at SE Polk and he spent three years at Harris-Lake Park. He coached in Winterset for 16 years before recently re-locating to Logan-Magnolia.
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)
Steve Pelzer, Cumberland-Massena
Andy Hensley, Cumberland-Massena grad (Tri-Center)
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)
Liz Stein, Harlan graduate (Audubon and Underwood)
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
Kevin Suhr, (Walnut Grad) Blue Valley High School, KS
