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UW-Stevens
Point Coaching Staff
Head
Coach John Miech
In 18 seasons
at UW-Stevens Point, head coach John Miech has
more than twice as many victories as any other coach in school history with a 117-62-2 record,
tying for fourth on the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
all-time wins list.
Miech, having completed
his 24th year with the coaching staff, has posted 20 seasons with a .500
or better record during the last 22 years. He has won three WIAC championships and earned the WIAC Coach of the Year award in 1998
and 2001. The 2005 season was atypical for Miech, whose team finished 4-6
overall against one of the nation's top schedules that featured four top
15 teams in the first five games of the year.
Miech�s association with
Pointer football actually goes back to 1972 when he first joined the
program as an offensive lineman, providing protection for the nation�s top
passing offense in both 1973 and 1974.
Along the way, he has developed numerous players who went on to play in
the NFL, CFL, AFL and European leagues. Most notable among those players
is Clint Kriewaldt, who was drafted in the sixth round by the Detroit
Lions in 1999 and played in the 2006 Super Bowl as a member of the world
champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Others include Barry Rose, who had stints
with both the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos, Kirk Baumgartner, a draft
choice of the Green Bay Packers and Pete Lucas, a draft pick by the
Atlanta Falcons.
In
1975, following graduation with a degree in Physical Education, Miech
began his coaching career with a three-year stint as an assistant with the
Pointers before moving on to Stephen F. Austin State University. There, he
served as a graduate assistant for the Lumberjacks while working on his
Master�s Degree, which he received in 1979.
Miech returned to
Wisconsin in 1979 and served as the head coach at Whitnall High School and
then Jefferson High School for three seasons each before returning to
UW-Stevens Point in 1985 as the defensive coordinator. As defensive
coordinator with the Pointers, his unit allowed just over 275 yards per
game and four yards per play in three seasons to lead the conference.
Miech and his wife,
Sheila, who serves as the head coach of the highly-successful Pointer
women�s soccer program, have two sons, Jesse and Ryan.
You can reach Coach Miech at jmiech@uwsp.edu
Assistant Coach
Jerry Olszewski
A familiar face to Pointer fans, Jerry Olszewski returns to UW-Stevens
Point this season as the team�s defensive coordinator and defensive
backs coach. Olszewski was a starting cornerback for the Pointers
through 1990 and served as an assistant coach during the 1991-92
seasons.
After earning a degree in physical education from UW-Stevens Point,
Olszewski coached four years at Minnesota State-Mankato while obtaining
a master�s degree in sports administration. He then coached one season
as the defensive line coach at California Lutheran University, helping
the team to a conference championship.
In
1998, Olszewski was the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Bombers
Indoor Football League team that won the league�s Gold Cup championship.
He returned to Minnesota State-Mankato and was the assistant head coach
for three years before taking over as the director of the Mankato YMCA.
Olszewski and his wife, Deana, have two children, a six-year old son
Jett, and a three-year old daughter, Jersey.
You can reach Coach
Olszewski at jeolszew@uwsp.edu
Assistant Coach
Keith Turner
Bringing plenty of head coaching experience as well as a playing
background in the Wisconsin State University Conference, Keith Turner
begins his first year with the Pointers as the offensive coordinator and
running backs coach.
Turner spent the past 16 seasons at Vermillion Community College in Ely,
Minn., including the past nine years as head coach. While at Vermillion,
Turner led his teams to 12 conference championships and four state
titles.
An
all-state prep player at Central Catholic High School in Cleveland, Ohio
as a running back and noseguard, Turner also played two seasons at
Vermillion and was an All-American performer. He was later inducted into
the Minnesota Junior College Hall of Fame.
Turner finished his playing career at UW-Superior and earned a
bachelor�s degree in physical education and health. He completed his
master�s degree in education at Southwest Minnesota State in 2006.
Turner and his wife, Genie, have three children, a 12-year old daughter
Claudia, a six-year old son, Jaxon and a three-year old daughter, Eve.
You can reach Coach Turner at
kturner@uwsp.edu
Assistant Coach
Jon Verdegan
The only returning member from the 2005 assistant coaching staff, Jon
Verdegan is in his second season as offensive line coach with the
Pointers and takes on an additional role as the athletic department�s
strength and conditioning coordinator.
Verdegan played four seasons with the Pointers until graduating in 1999
with a degree in Health Promotion and Wellness. He played Arena football
with the Iowa Barnstormers, Peoria Pirates and Quad City Steamrollers
while completing a Master�s Degree at Western Illinois University.
A
Waupaca High School graduate, Verdegan worked the previous two seasons
as defensive line and strength coach at St. Ambrose University. His
wife, Rhonda, is an athletic trainer at UW-Stevens Point. They have a
daughter, Avery, who was born in April.
You can reach Coach
Verdegan at jverdega@uwsp.edu
Assistant Coach Jay Anderson
Lending plenty of prep head coaching
experience, Jay Anderson begins his first year on the Pointers� coaching
staff as linebackers and special teams coach.
Anderson was the head coach at Auburndale High School for the past seven
seasons after serving as an assistant coach for the previous four years.
He was a two-time Marawood Conference and Wisconsin Football Coaches
Association District Coach of the Year.
An
Auburndale native, Anderson was a standout high school athlete and
starred collegiately at UW-Eau Claire. He was an honorable mention all-american
pitcher for the Blugolds� baseball team and also played two years of
basketball.
Anderson has a wife, Joren. His brother, Scott, is the top assistant
coach with the Pointers� men�s basketball team.
Assistant Coach
Shane Konop
A former all-conference defensive tackle for the Pointers, Shane Konop
will lend his experience to the current Pointers in his first year as an
assistant coach, leading the defensive line.
Konop was the Pointers� team captain in 1997 and was a first-team
all-conference selection in 1996 and 1997. He went on to captain the
Green Bay Bombers Indoor Football League team for three seasons, winning
a Gold Cup championship.
A
Stevens Point native, Konop was an all-region defensive tackle, a
two-time state wrestling champion and state shot put champion at Stevens
Point Pacelli High School. He coached football at Pacelli the past five
seasons, helping the Cardinals to the 2005 WIAA Division 7 state title.
Konop is completing his degree in Broadfield Social Science and History
at UW-Stevens Point.
You can reach Coach Konop
at skono293@uwsp.edu
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