Below is a press release from Wartburg College:
Wartburg College announced Thursday, July 1, Rick Willis has accepted the role of Wartburg’s inaugural vice president for student recruitment and Chris Winter has been promoted to head football coach.
Willis will begin his work on Aug. 1 and will continue to serve as the director of athletics through the end of July. He is replacing Edith Waldstein, who served as the college’s vice president for enrollment management since 2001. She is retiring on Aug. 2.
Ryan Callahan, Wartburg’s head athletic trainer, will serve as the interim athletic director beginning in August. Callahan has led the college’s athletic training staff since 2014 and received the 2020-21 Wartburg College Administrative Exemplary Staff Award. He was a leading force behind the college’s Campus Health Recovery Team (CHRT), which provided guidance to college administrator’s during the pandemic. He also represented Wartburg on the American Rivers Conference COVID-19 action team, and serves on the board of the National and Midwest Athletic Trainers Associations. A search for a permanent athletic director will be conducted during the academic year.
As the vice president for student recruitment, Willis will oversee the Admissions and Financial Aid offices, Athletic Department and the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center.
“I am excited to embrace this important challenge, utilizing my previous leadership and recruiting experiences to help Wartburg continue to attract outstanding students. Our tremendous professional staff combined with all the distinguishing characteristics of this special place will enable us to be successful in the intense competition for students,” Willis said.
Willis has served as the college’s executive director of athletics and wellness for 16 years since January 2005, overseeing the management of 23 varsity sports, 35 full-time coaches, 25 part-time coaches and more than 600 student-athletes. His duties also included oversight of the Wartburg-Waverly Sports & Wellness Center (The W). He also holds the college’s Lowell J. Walker Athletics Directorship Endowed Chair.
“Rick has been leading an Athletic Department that demonstrates thoroughgoing excellence. Not only has Wartburg won 127 Conference championships in 17 different sports and 19 national championships in 4 different sports since 2005, but the college has increased its number of student-athletes by nearly 30 percent during that same time, and these student-athletes graduate at a high rate and often set the curve in their classes,” Wartburg President Darrel Colson said. “Rick is quick to say that the success in athletics is built upon a foundation of strong collaboration and trust. He has worked closely with Admissions and Financial Aid for many years, building that foundation while helping to shape the college’s overall recruiting strategies.”
Willis also has served on institutional committees focused on retention, marketing and financial aid as well as serving on the Leadership Task Force for the Commission on Mission, which prepared the way for the college’s 2010-2020 strategic plan. He also served on the President’s Budget Advisory Council and a subcommittee of the college’s Higher Learning Commission Year-Four Assurance Argument.
During his time as athletic director, he also led or was involved with planning, design and fundraising for The W and renovation of the football stadium and track, baseball, softball, and soccer facilities, cross country course, and the brand-new Meyer Strength & Conditioning Annex, finished in 2021. Under Willis, Wartburg won 17 consecutive Iowa Conference All-Sports Trophies and 20 student-athletes received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
The longest tenured head coach and all-time coaching wins leader at Wartburg, Willis compiled a career record of 185-46 in 21 seasons. He owns the 11th highest winning percentage (.801) in the nation among active Division III coaches. Under Willis, the Knights won 11 Iowa Conference Championships with 11 NCAA playoff appearances inclusive of ‘Elite Eight’ berths in 2008, 2014, and 2017. In 2010, he became the fastest coach to reach 100 wins in Iowa Conference history.
Willis coached 44 All-Americans, 14 Academic All-Americans, six conference MVPs, and a two-time Gagliardi Trophy Finalist in Matt Sacia and a two-time Gagliardi Semifinalist, Logan Schrader. He was named the Conference Coach of the Year in 1999, 2010, 2013, 2014, and 2017; GTE West Regional Coach of the Year from the American Football Coaches Association in 1999 and 2017; and D3football.com Regional Coach of the Year in 2014.
“It has been a great honor to lead the football program for 21 seasons and the athletic department for nearly 17 years,” Willis commented. “The support from the Waverly and Wartburg communities has been special and greatly appreciated. There are so many great memories and people to thank, but especially my family, our committed coaches past and present, and the unbelievably spirited and talented student-athletes I have had the opportunity to coach and mentor over the years.”Chris Winter steps into the head coaching position after serving with the Wartburg football coaching staff for 16 years. He’s been the defensive coordinator since 2011, was promoted to assistant head coach in 2013, and has served as the head strength and conditioning coordinator since 2008. A 2004 Wartburg graduate, Winter was a four-year member of the football and baseball teams and 2017 Wartburg Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to receive the opportunity to lead the Wartburg football team. This has been a goal of mine since my coaching career started and is truly a dream come true. The experience I had as a student-athlete at Wartburg impacted the course of my life significantly, and shaped who I am today. My goal is for our football program to continue to have that same impact on our current student-athletes as well as future Knights.”
While overseeing the Wartburg defense for eight seasons, the Knights won five Iowa Conference Championships including three-straight from 2017 to 2019. The Wartburg defense led the conference in total defense, scoring defense, rush defense, and pass inefficiency at least four seasons during his tenure.
Winter’s defense has ranked among the top 25 nationally in several defensive categories, including the second most tackles for loss in 2012 and fifth most sacks in 2013. He has coached 54 All-Conference, 14 All-Region, and four All-American defensive players.
“Chris Winter has earned the opportunity to be Wartburg’s head football coach,” Willis said. “He is a Knight and has demonstrated an unbelievable and unwavering commitment to Wartburg and our football program for over 20 years. He has excelled in every aspect professionally and is impressive as a coach both technically and strategically. Chris is one of the very best recruiters on our campus. He builds strong relationships and cares deeply about our players and this program. I am excited to watch him lead our football program for many years to come.”
His wife, Tara, a 2001 Wartburg graduate, is the executive director of admissions and cheerleading coach at Wartburg. They reside in Waverly with their children, Emmry and Maddox.