Coach Profiles: Ben Cooprider

Throughout the season we profiled each of our 14 senior players and now that we've entered the off-season, it's time to meet each member of our coaching staff. We'll spotlight one coach each week leading up until Christmas, proceeding, as we did with the seniors, in alphabetical order.

Next up is defensive backs coach, Ben Cooprider!


Name: Ben Cooprider
Hometown: DeKalb, IL/Minneapolis, MN
Alma Mater: Carleton College - B.A. in American Studies (2006); Concordia University - St. Paul - M.A. in Organizational Management with Sports Management emphasis (2009)
Family: Dad (Bob), Mom (Sharon), Brother (Nick-22), and my 7 month old golden retriever, Griswold
Position/Title at Grinnell: Assistant Football and Assistant Baseball Coach

What brought you to Grinnell?
The opportunity to coach in a full-time capacity while working with both football and baseball programs at a highly academic liberal arts institution. I also had a connection through my former college baseball coach, who was a graduate and former assistant here at Grinnell.

What do you enjoy about coaching at Grinnell?
I enjoy everything, but it's the people here that make this place great. The administration, from President Osgood to our athletic director, Coach Wallace, the coaches, the support staff, and most of all the student-athletes. Interacting with the student-athletes on a daily basis, hearing about their class work, how their weekend was, or even listening to a funny story, is by far the most enjoyable part of this "job".

What is your favorite memory here at Grinnell?
I have just completed my first baseball and football cycle and already there are too many to pick just one. The two that stand out to me are qualifying for and playing in the MWC Baseball Tournament last May and the defensive backs stellar performance against St. Norbert this fall.

Why did you choose your alma mater? What drew you there?
Looking back I know it was the opportunity to play two sports in college, neither of which I was ready to give up, combined with the awesome education and small-town location. But I'm not sure all of that was going through my mind when I was making the decision. Something in my gut told me to go to Carleton and I could not be more happy or thankful for my choice. The experience of playing sports for four years was fantastic, but the education and friendships I garnered while there will last me a lifetime.

How would you describe yourself as a coach?
I enjoy everything about being a coach at this level and I think that is evident in the manner in which I approach every day, practice, or meeting. To me, if you don't have passion or excitement for what you are doing then there's no point in doing it. I thoroughly enjoy working with the student-athletes we have at Grinnell and they constantly amaze me with their intelligence, humor, foresight, and respect for those around them.

Favorite movie: "Field of Dreams", but "Caddyshack" and "Animal House" are 1B and 1C.

Favorite book: Usually whatever I'm reading at said point in time. Right now, it's Catcher: How the Man Behind the Plate Became an American Folk Hero by Peter Morris.

Favorite food(s): Anything spicy. Combinations of peanut butter and chocolate. But my absolute favorite food are the Hot Sweet & Tangy Grilled Chicken Wings from Bru's Room in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Favorite travel location: Any cabin on any lake in any small Upper Midwestern town

Hobbies and Interests: Golfing, walking the dog, reading, American history, politics

List at least one random or interesting fact about you: I have a large widow's peak. Cindy Crawford went to, and graduated, from my high school as valedictorian of the Class of 1984. I have never been out of the country. My "pointer" and "middle" toes are all longer than my big toes. And the day I came home from the hospital after being born, the temperature outside was 25 degrees below zero with a wind chill of 75 below!

Food in Grinnell

From the College website comes this story about the high-quality of restaurants and eateries located here in Grinnell:

http://www.grinnell.edu/index8.shtm

Coach's Profiles: Dave Arseneault

Throughout the season we profiled each of our 14 senior players and now that we've entered the off-season, it's time to meet each member of our coaching staff. We'll spotlight one coach each week leading up until Christmas, proceeding, as we did with the seniors, in alphabetical order.

Leading off, is defensive assistant Dave Arseneault!


Name: Dave Arseneault
Hometown: Grinnell, IA
Alma Mater: I graduated from Grinnell College in 2009. I majored in Economics.
Family: Father - Dave, Mother - Ellie, Sister - Jennie (21)
Position/Title at Grinnell: Assistant Football and Assistant Basketball Coach

What brought you to Grinnell?
My father is the head men's basketball coach here at Grinnell.

What do you enjoy about coaching at Grinnell?
I really enjoy the type of players I get to work with on a daily basis. The kids we have at Grinnell are smart, respectful, and extremely hard working.

What is your favorite memory here at Grinnell?
Being a part of two Midwest Conference Championship basketball teams during my four year career.

Why did you choose your alma mater? What drew you there?
A couple of things... The academics. Grinnell is one of the best liberal arts schools in the country and I believe the school has fully prepared me for anything I choose to do in the future. I was also very impressed with the athletic department and the athletic facilities. The coaches are friendly and care about their players, and the athletic facilities at Grinnell are incredible. Come check it out if you don't believe me!

How would you describe yourself as a coach?
I'm in an interesting position because I went to school with a lot of the players on the team. I think this really helps me communicate with the guys because I can relate to the academic/athletic experience they're having at Grinnell. I also love getting to know the guys as students and people, as well as getting to know them as football players.

Favorite movie: Anchorman

Favorite book: Harry Potter Series and anything written by Bill Simmons "the Sports Guy"

Favorite food(s): Buffalo Wings

Favorite travel location: University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City... Go Hawks!

Hobbies and Interests: Working out, reading, fantasy basketball and football

List at least one random or interesting fact about you: I'm a dual citizen (Canada and the U.S.) and I was invited to tryout for the Canadian National Basketball team after my freshman year of college.

Bradley & Boehm Named All-MWC

Junior linebacker Marquis Bradley (Wichita, KS/Independent) and senior defensive back and return specialist Ryan Boehm (Iowa City, IA/City High) were both named to the All-Midwest Conference Second Team on Wednesday. The Pioneers also had three players recognized as All-MWC Honorable Mention: Sophomore receiver Robert Seer (Saukville, WI/Port Washington), sophomore offensive lineman Chris Jarmon (Boulder, CO/Boulder) and junior safety Marc Heronemus (Topeka, KS/Topeka).

Congrats to all five players! The honor is certainly well received in each case!

To read the Grinnell release please go here.

2009 Season Recap

We came into the 2009 season confident that we were a much improved football team over the 3-7 version in 2008. And despite only posting a 2-8 record, it is unquestionable that we have made major strides towards our goal of winning the MWC Championship.

Four of our 8 losses were by a touchdown or less and in two of the other losses we had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter before squandering it. Compare this to the 2008 season, where only 1 of the 7 losses was by a score, and its obvious that we were more competitive week in and week out this season. The next step is without a doubt the toughest to achieve, however. We have to learn how to win, and make the 3 or 4 more big plays that inevitably decide each and every football game. I'm confident we will get there sooner rather than later.

We are graduating some great seniors and we will of course miss all of them. Fortunately we do have very good players returning on both sides of the ball and on special teams. Two of our top three leading tacklers are back on defense. Our leading receivers are all back and our top returners are back.

We have a bunch of highly motivated guys who want to work even harder this off-season so we win those close games next year. Our players are very excited about the future of this program and have already started working hard to get better for next year.

We look forward, already, to the 2010 season and in particular the season opener at home against Macalester College on September 4th!

Stay tuned in the coming days for the beginning of our profile series highlighting our coaching staff!

Pioneers Lose in Season Finale

On a perfect fall day for football, the host Beloit Bucs beat the visiting Pioneers from Grinnell 41-7. For only the second time all season, we were out of the game in the 4th quarter, and considering where this program has been over the last few years, that is a major improvement. It's not at all where we want to be ultimately, but it provides us with some comfort knowing that in 8 of our 10 games, we are competitive until the end and are just a few plays shy of winning a lot of those games.

We now turn our focus as a program and as a coaching staff to the 2010 season and beyond. We open next season at home against Macalester College on September 4th, 2010 and we can't wait to be on the field and start a new season. But first we must put all our efforts into the recruiting process and trying to find a class of student-athletes that can help get us to that next level!

Pioneers Lose to RedHawks

Although we could not have asked for better weather on Senior Day at Rosenbloom Field, the host Pioneers fell to Ripon 38-17 in our last home game of 2009. We again showed great resolve by mounting a comeback and refusing to quit before the last whistle blew. But it wasn't enough as their offense executed their triple-option attack as precisely as they have done all year and we weren't able to come up with enough big stops or turnovers to shift the tide. Offensively, we moved the ball effectively, racking up the 2nd most yards they've allowed all season, but fell short on finishing drives and putting the ball in the endzone.

We head to Beloit this Saturday for the final contest of the 2009 season and will also serve as a great catapult of momentum heading into the 2010 season!