(Atlantic) Atlantic native Dick Strittmatter has overseen a pair of college football programs along with a number of head coaching gigs at the high school level. He’s our guest this week on Why I Coach.
Strittmatter spent two years at Shelby-Tennant, two years in Florida, 13 years at Dexfield, 7 at Auburn, Nebraska, 5 at Peru State and 7 at Briar Cliff. “I think football is the greatest sport there is because you have eleven guys working together. When you only have nine or ten, the play can be a bad play. I always like putting everything together and I like the youth. I like young people.”
Former Atlantic head coach Howard Justice was a big influence on Strittmatter. Justice also coached Strittmatter as an assistant at Western Illinois. The head coach of the Leathernecks at the time was College Football Hall of Famer Daryl Mudra. Strittmatter also lists Atlantic coaches Bob Younger and Arnie Gaarde has great coaches he was fortunate to be around. “I’ve been fortunate to have great coaches and I think that inspired me.”
Strittmatter always wanted his athletes to be well rounded. “I always went with three things–be fair, be firm, and be consistent. I think I hit on those things. I won more football games than I lost, but I don’t know if winning is always the most important thing to be successful. There’s a lot of things that lead into it like hard work and dedication.”
He admits his style came from what he knew as a player and that was for players to be held accountable. “I look back and think maybe at times I was too tough on people, but a while back I had a guy tell me he wouldn’t be anywhere without my help. That’s why you coach, to make those types of influences.”
Once his own kids were out of high school he pursued and found an opportunity in the college ranks. He enjoyed a five year run at Peru State before starting the Briar Cliff program from the ground up. “That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my whole life is start a program.” He also served as the AD at the time, “That was a challenge I always kind of wanted. You have to buy footballs, you have to buy helmets, you have to design helmets, you have to get jerseys. We had nothing. We had not even a practice field at that time and it was quite a challenge.”
After going winless in their first year in the Great Plains Athletic Conference the team went from three wins to four wins to five wins over the next three seasons. “We gained every year. When we won that first game I think tears came to my eyes because it showed all the hard work we put in starting a program came back to help us.”
After his retirement, Strittmatter had a couple of local stints as an assistant coach with CAM girts basketball and Atlantic football. According to the Sioux City Journal, in 23 seasons as a high school football coach, Strittmatter went 153-112.
Previous Coaches
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)
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
