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Brad Pole
Head Football Coach
Rocky Mountain College ’79
University of Minnesota ’82
brpole@dwu.edu
605-995-2852

The 2009 football season will be J. Brad Pole’s fifth as head coach at Dakota Wesleyan University, and expectations have never been higher for the reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference Coach-of-the-Year and his squad.

Last year wasn’t just the best season of Pole’s tenure at DWU; it was one of the finest football campaigns in school history. The Tigers finished 7-3 overall, good for third place in the GPAC standings, and they ended the season ranked No. 23 in the NAIA Football Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Last season marked DWU’s first winning record in the GPAC, which was formed in 2000, and the seven wins are tied for the third-most in school history. It was Dakota Wesleyan’s first winning season in 15 years, and overall DWU has won 10 of its last 13 GPAC games.

The Tigers’ successful season brought numerous accolades to the program, highlighted by Pole’s first nod as the GPAC Coach-of-the-Year. The DWU football team was also named South Dakota’s Outstanding Men’s College Team by the state’s Sportswriters Association. The Tigers had an AFCA All-American, three College Fanz NAIA All-Americans, 19 All-GPAC selections, two NAIA Players-of-the-Week, five GPAC Players-of-the-Week, one Victory Sports Network Player-of-the-Week and four NAIA Scholar-Athletes. DWU had six All-GPAC First-Team selections, which equals the number of first-team picks the Tigers had totaled over the conference’s first eight seasons. In addition, DWU also set a school record with 19 All-Conference selections.

Dakota Wesleyan tied a GPAC-era school record with three straight wins in 2008, and it pulled off a pair of Top 20 upsets on the road when it beat No. 19 Midland Lutheran College 19-14 on Oct. 4 and No. 12 Northwestern College 17-6 on Nov. 8. The win over the Red Raiders in Orange City was DWU’s first-ever victory against Northwestern.

In Pole’s four seasons at DWU, his team has progressed each season since he took over a 1-10 team following the 2004 campaign. He has an overall record of 16-24 at Dakota Wesleyan, and he is currently tied for the sixth-most wins in school history. His teams have posted records of 1-9, 4-6, 4-6 and 7-3 during his first four seasons. At Dakota Wesleyan, Pole has coached four All-Americans, 58 All-GPAC selections, four NAIA Players-of-the-Week, 10 GPAC Players-of-the-Week and 10 NAIA Scholar-Athletes. In addition, his 2006 team was honored as the Buffalo Funds Five Star Champions of Character Team Award by the NAIA.

Pole came to Dakota Wesleyan from NCAA Division II Augustana College, where he served as the recruiting coordinator and running backs coach for two seasons. It was his second stint at Augustana after having been in the same position for two years earlier in his career (1986-87).

Pole’s previous head coaching experience came at NCAA Division III Luther College, where he held the head coaching position for six seasons. While at Luther from 1996-01, he compiled a 20-40 overall record, breaking several school records. His team scored 74 points in one half, which still stands as an NCAA record.

Before his position at Luther, Pole was the offensive coordinator at Concordia College-Moorhead for four seasons. He helped lead the Cobbers to the MIAC Football Championship and the 1995 NCAA-III National Playoffs. He also served as an assistant baseball coach.

From 1988-90, Pole was the defensive coordinator at Moorhead State University, leading the Dragons to the 1988 and 1989 NSIC Championships and two trips to the NAIA National Playoffs.

His first coaching experience was at the University of Sioux Falls, where he served as the defensive coordinator for four seasons. He helped guide the Cougars to the 1984 SDIC Championship and four consecutive winning seasons for the first time in school history.

Pole graduated from Rocky Mountain College in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. While at Rocky Mountain, Pole was a four-year starter at linebacker. He earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Minnesota in 1982.

He teaches leadership classes in the summer and is a board member of the Fellowship of Christian Sportsmen. He is a member of the American Football Coaches Association, the South Dakota Football Coaches Association and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Pole’s wife, Rhonda, also holds a prevalent role at Dakota Wesleyan as the school’s director of internships/director of The Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship.

The couple live in Mitchell, and they have three grown children.

Blake Waddell
Defensive Coordinator
Northern State University ’99
blwaddel@dwu.edu
605-995-2858

Blake Waddell returns for his third season as the Dakota Wesleyan University football team’s defensive coordinator and his fourth season overall as an assistant coach under Brad Pole. Waddell shared coordinator duties in 2007 before taking the reigns last season and guiding the Tiger defense to its best season in recent memory.

Waddell’s defense made huge strides last season in a new formation designed to suit its personnel. In Dakota Wesleyan’s seven wins in 2008, the Tigers allowed an average of just 8.3 points per game. Under Waddell’s guidance, 11 Tiger defenders earned All-GPAC honors, two were named NAIA Player-of-the-Week and three were named GPAC Player-of-the-Week.

This is the fourth season of Waddell’s second stint coaching at Dakota Wesleyan. He was also a Tiger assistant in 2003 and 2004, and this will be his sixth overall season coaching football at the college level. He also has two years of experience coaching high school football.

Waddell was a member of the football team at NCAA-II Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Northern State University in 1999.

The Rapid City, S.D., native is also Dakota Wesleyan’s assistant track and field coach. In addition, Waddell is a junior achievement classroom mentor and is a volunteer to promote solid habits for youth in the Mitchell area.

Waddell and his wife, Melissa, live in Mitchell and have three children.

Paul Lasley
Offensive Line Coach
Augustana College ’94
The University of South Dakota
palasley@dwu.edu
605-995-2185

Paul Lasley is entering his fourth season as a full-time assistant football coach at Dakota Wesleyan University. Lasley will guide the Tigers’ offensive line again this season.

Last season, Lasley’s group up front produced one All-American Honorable Mention, junior James Hansen, and three All-GPAC offensive linemen. The line paved the way for an offense that racked up 1,608 rushing yards and 2,010 passing yards, while averaging 25.7 points per game and 4.9 yards per play. The Tiger linemen only allowed 13 sacks in 321 drop backs, and they helped DWU maintain an average time of possession of 32:07.

Lasley came to DWU from Peru State College in Peru, Neb., where he was the assistant head football coach for four seasons. During Lasley’s best season at PSC, the team went 7-4 and he coached an All-American Second Team pick and the conference’s Defensive Player-of-the-Year, Scott Beurridge. Before his stint at Peru State, Lasley served as the running back/quarterback coach and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division II Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D.

He also coached at NCAA-II Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Goodwell, Okla.; Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa; Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, Maine, and he spent two seasons as the graduate assistant at the University of South Dakota. At USD, Lasley earned his Master of Arts degree in education with an emphasis in athletic administration.

Lasley earned his bachelor’s degree with a double major in education and business from Augustana College in 1994. He is a native of Redwood Falls, Minn.

He lives in nearby Alexandria with his wife, Tricia, and their son, Craig.

Myron Steffen
Defensive Line Coach

Myron Steffen is entering his second season as Dakota Wesleyan University’s defensive line coach. He joined Brad Pole’s staff as an assistant coach last season following a long, successful career as the head coach at nearby Mount Vernon High School.

Steffen’s addition to the Tiger defensive coaching staff made an immediate impact in 2008, as his unit helped key remarkable defensive improvement. Steffen’s three starters along the line all earned All-GPAC honors (one first team, one second team and one honorable mention), one earned NAIA Player-of-the-Week honors and two earned GPAC Player-of-the-Week honors.

This season, Steffen will face the task of replacing two talented graduated seniors on the defensive line, but DWU has several talented returners and newcomers to compete for playing time.

Steffen’s collegiate coaching career began last season following his reign at Mount Vernon, where he was the head varsity coach for 25 years. During that span, Steffen’s teams won 12 conference titles, six region championships and two state titles. He earned South Dakota Coach of the Year honors in 2000, and he was Region Coach of the Year in 1999, 2003 and 2005.

At Mount Vernon, Steffen is the current boys’ and girls’ head track and field coach. In his 26 years, his teams have won 29 conference titles, including two in 2009, and nine region championships.

Steffen and his wife, Tammy, have three children. His sons Mike (senior, wide receiver) and Jake (sophomore, defensive end) currently play football for South Dakota State University, and his daughter, Jordan, graduated in May from Mount Vernon, S.D., and will attend Dakota State University this fall.

Anton Brintley
Graduate Assistant Coach/Wide Receivers
Dakota Wesleyan University ’04
anbrintl@dwu.edu

Former Dakota Wesleyan University football standout Anton Brintley is entering his second season as a graduate assistant football coach at DWU. Brintley will work with the Tigers’ wide receivers again this season after guiding the group to a record-setting season in 2008.

Under Brintley’s guidance, DWU junior Bubba Slaba broke the school’s single-season records for receptions (76) and receiving yards (1,046), while earning All-GPAC First-Team honors and two GPAC Player-of-the-Week awards. As a unit, Tiger receivers caught 179 passes last season for 2,010 yards and 12 touchdowns with an average of 11.2 yards per catch.

Brintley joined Pole’s coaching staff in 2008 on the strength of his record-setting career as a Tiger wideout from 2000-03. Brintley is DWU’s all-time career leader in receptions (159), receiving yards (2,347) and sixth in career scoring (140 points). He also is third on DWU’s single-season receptions list with 56 catches for 826 yards in 2003 and was named All-GPAC First Team once and All-GPAC Second Team twice.

Brintley received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Dakota Wesleyan in 2004. He is currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in policy and administration and plans to graduate in the spring of 2010.

He currently lives in Mitchell.

Trey Erickson
Graduate Assistant Coach/Running Backs
University of Sioux Falls ’07
trericks@dwu.edu

Trey Erickson joins the Tiger coaching staff as a Graduate Assistant coach in 2009. He will primarily work with the team’s running backs. This is Erickson’s second coaching job after spending two seasons at Seattle Prep in Washington, and his first collegiate coaching experience.

The newest addition to Pole’s offensive staff comes in with plenty of experience with both the GPAC and the NAIA. During his playing career, Erickson was a two-time All-American at the athlete position and a member of the 2006 NAIA National Championship team at the University of Sioux Falls. A versatile athlete, Erickson played wide receiver and running back for the Cougars and he also returned kicks.

Erickson is a native of Yankton, S.D., where he helped Yankton High School win the South Dakota Class “11AA” State Football Championship in 2002.

The USF grad received a bachelor of science in biology in 2007. At Dakota Wesleyan, Erickson is pursuing his master’s in secondary education.

Dustin Sealey
Graduate Assistant Coach/Linebackers
Peru State College ’09
dusealey@dwu.edu

Dustin Sealey is in his first season as a DWU Graduate Assistant coach. He will join the Tigers’ defensive staff and will work with the team’s linebackers in 2009. This is Sealey’s first coaching position.

Sealey comes to DWU after a successful four-year playing career at Peru State College. A three-year starter at linebacker, Sealey was an All-Conference performer for PSC.

The Hastings, Neb., native received a bachelor of science in management and marketing from Peru State in May 2009. At Dakota Wesleyan, he is pursuing a master’s degree in policy and administration.

Steve Viereck
Student Assistant Coach/Defensive Backs
stvierec@dwu.edu

Steve Viereck enters his first season as a Student Assistant Coach after concluding his All-GPAC career at Dakota Wesleyan University in 2008. This is the former Tiger’s first coaching experience, and he will coach the team’s defensive backs this season.

During his four-year career at DWU, Viereck appeared in 33 games, including all 10 as a starter at cornerback in 2008. As a senior, Viereck played a big role on the Tigers’ improved defense, and he helped lead the team to a 7-3 record and a No. 23 national ranking. Viereck earned All-GPC Honorable Mention honors in 2008 with 49 total tackles, five passes defended, two interceptions and 1.5 tackles for a loss.

The Sioux Falls, S.D., native plans to graduate from Dakota Wesleyan with a pre-med bachelor’s degree in athletic training in May 2010.