(Harlan) Earling native Joe Heese got an early start to his career as a coach. He’s the latest guest on “Why I Coach.”
The former Simpson College athlete joined the storm coaching staff while still in school. “I kind of got into it by accident. I blew a knee out late in the summer right before my sophomore year of college. Two weeks before I went to football camp I got the pleasure of calling my coach and telling him I wasn’t going to be able to play. He was nice enough to call me back about an hour later and ask me to come down and be a student coach. The next year we had some turnover in our staff and he asked me to coach the running backs. It was really cool to be that young and have a college coaching job and still be going to college at the same time.”
Heese credits Simpson head man Jim Williams for allowing him to get a smooth start at such a young age. “It became an addiction really quick, especially working so closely with coach Williams and how detail oriented he was with everything. He put a lot on my shoulders and it was great because I learned an awful lot in a hurry. It was interesting at first. Coach helped me a lot. He was one of the greatest coaches in the history of Iowa. I learned a lot from him. It was great. He helped me a long and helped me work with my peers.”
Heese moved on to coach football, girls basketball, and track in Nebraska for one year at the high school level before joining the Nebraska Kearney football staff as a running backs coach for a few years. Heese ultimately settled in at the high school level with various roles at Missouri Valley, Audubon, and Harlan. “College is definitely more of a job. It’s more serious. There’s more on the line. The high school thing was more relationship oriented and getting along with the kids and being more of a father figure.”
With Harlan he teamed up with head coach Steve Daeges and assistant Mark Vandeberg for over 20 years. Harlan put together a recent run of eight straight state tournament appearances and reached the finals five times in that span, headlined by a 2016 state championship. “Steve Daeges is an outstanding head coach. The best part is we coached as a staff.” Heese says, “We collaborated on everything. We all meshed together. A very unique situation and Steve was great to let us all do our thing. It worked out pretty well.”
Heese admits his approach to coaching evolved over time. “I was a little more temperamental early on. I learned through the years to stay more laid back and even keeled. I think it’s important to listen to the kids and explain everything how and why you are doing things. I think that takes care of a lot of problems.”
Heese summarizes his experience as a lot of fun with a chance to meet a lot of wonderful people, go to a lot of cool places, and build relationships he’ll cherish forever.
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
Jeremy Blake and Michelle Blake, Nodaway Valley/Atlantic
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
Jim Flanery, Guthrie Center alum (Creighton women’s basketball)
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
