Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Honors Several Pointers

     The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association honored a pair of UW-Stevens Point coaches and a player Saturday night in Madison at the organization�s annual banquet.

     Pointer Head Coach John Miech was honored as the WIAC Coach of the Year while defensive coordinator Kevin Deates was recognized as the Assistant Coach of the Year. UW-Stevens Point defensive end Paul Schmitt was also recognized at the banquet as the WIAC co-Player of the Year along with UW-Eau Claire running back Darrell Souhrada.

     Last season, in his 14th year as the head coach of the Pointers, Miech led UW-Stevens Point led the team to an 8-3 record and the WIAC championship. It was the Pointers third conference championship in the past four seasons. UW-Stevens Point reached the NCAA Tournament, defeating Bethel (Minn.), 37-27, in the opening round before falling to St. John�s (Minn.), 9-7, in the second round.

     Deates, a UW-Stevens Point graduate, completed his fifth season with the Pointers and his third as a full-time staff member. In the 2001 season, the Pointers led the WIAC in rush defense, limiting their opponents to 91.6 yards per game on the ground, and sacks with 27. UW-Stevens Point also forced 24 turnovers in its nine regular season games.

     Schmitt set a Pointer record in 2001 with 11 sacks to go along with 18 tackles for loss. The Stratford native finished fifth on the team with 44 tackles, the most among defensive linemen. He was also selected to play in the Aztec Bowl, the Division III all-star game held in Mexico.

     In addition, a pair of UW-Stevens Point graduates were also inducted into the WFCA Hall of Fame.

     Dan Herbst, a 1961 graduate, was honored as the longtime coach at Watertown High School where he compiled a 164-109-1 record in 29 seasons.

     Alex Hilber, a 1971 graduate of UW-Stevens Point, was inducted after coaching Cassville and Mayville to a 224-45 record in 25 seasons.

     Also inducted into the Hall of Fame was current D.C. Everest head coach Wayne Steffenhagen.