Chris Winter (American football)

Last updated

Chris Winter
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Wartburg
Conference ARC
Record34–5 (.872)
Biographical details
Born New Hampton, IA
Alma mater Wartburg
Playing career
Football
2001–2004 Wartburg
Baseball
2001–2004 Wartburg
Position(s) Wide receiver (football)
Third baseman (baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
2004–2007 Wartburg (assistant)
2008–2010Wartburg (S&C)
2011–2012Wartburg (DC/S&C)
2013–2021Wartburg (AHC/DC/S&C)
2021–presentWartburg
Head coaching record
Overall34–5
Tournaments6–2 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 A-R-C (2022–2023)
Awards
2x A-R-C Coach of the Year (2022, 2023)
D3football.com National Coach of the Year (2022)
AFCA Regional Coach of the Year (2023)

Chris Winter is an American college football coach. He was named the head football coach in 2021 at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, after serving as an assistant since 2004, under former head football coach Rick Willis. [1] In just his second year at the helm of the Wartburg Knights, he led them to a program record 13 wins and to the first NCAA Division III Semifinal appearance in school history.

Contents

Playing career

He attended Wartburg College, where he played football and baseball, earning all-conference honors in both sports. [2] He was named to the Wartburg College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016. [3]

Coaching career

Wartburg

Winter was named the head football coach at Wartburg on July 1, 2021, becoming the 14th head coach in the programs history. [4] He took over the program that he was an assistant in for 16 years. In just his second season with the Knights he took the program to new heights when they reached the NCAA semifinals and reached a program mark of 13 wins. The season ended when they lost a thriller to perennial NCAA Division III power Mount Union 34–31. [5] [6] Following the 2022 season, Chris Winter was named the D3football.com National football coach of the year. [7] The 2023 season saw Winter lead his team back to the NCAA semifinals where they would drop another thriller to No. 1 North Central (IL) 34–27. [8]

Personal life

Winter was born in New Hampton, Iowa. Winter and his wife Tara reside in Waverly, IA and have two children. [9] His wife Tara is also a graduate of Wartburg College where she is the head cheerleading coach and executive director of admissions. [10]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs AFCA#D3°
Wartburg Knights (American Rivers Conference)(2021–present)
2021 Wartburg 7–36–22nd
2022 Wartburg 13–18–01stL NCAA Division III Semifinal 43
2023 Wartburg 13–18–01stL NCAA Division III Semifinal 33
2024 Wartburg 1–00–0
Wartburg:34–522–2
Total:34–5
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Related Research Articles

Rick Willis is an American college administrator and former football, baseball, and softball coach. He was the athletic director at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, from 2005 to 2021, before transitioning to vice president for student recruitment. Willis served two stints as the head football coach at Wartburg, from 1997 to 2005 and again from 2008 to 2021, compiled a record of 185–46. He was succeeded in 2021 by his former player and defensive coordinator Chris Winter. He was the head baseball coach at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio from 1991 to 1996, amassing a record of 150–85. Willis also coached the softball team at Wartburg for one season, in 2003, tallying a mark of 38–10 and reaching the Division III Women's College World Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wartburg Knights men's basketball</span> College basketball team

The Wartburg Knights men's basketball team represents the Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, United States. The team is a member of the American Rivers Conference as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team plays its regular season games in Levick Arena, along with women's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.

Robert "Bob" Amsberry is an American college basketball coach. He is the current head women's basketball coach at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wartburg Knights baseball</span> College baseball program

The Wartburg Knights baseball program represents Wartburg College in college baseball. The program started in 1958. The team competes in the NCAA Division III and a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC). The team plays its home games at Harms Stadium at Hertel field in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wartburg Knights football</span> Football program representing Wartburg College

The Wartburg Knights football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Wartburg College located in Waverly, Iowa. The team competes in the NCAA Division III and a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC). Wartburg's first football team was fielded in 1929 with varsity play starting in 1935. The team plays its home games at Walston-Hoover stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College of as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2022 NCAA Division III football season. Led by second-year head coach Chris Winter, the Knights compiled an overall record of 13–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning the ARC title and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. There, the Knights made it to their first ever national semifinal, losing to the eventual national runner up, Mount Union. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2019 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2019 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Rick Willis in his 21st season, the Knights compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, sharing the ARC title with the Central Dutch and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. There, the Knights defeated Hope in the first round before losing to eventual national runner-up, Wisconsin–Whitewater, in the second round. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2018 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Rick Willis in his 20th season as head, the Knights compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, winning ARC title for the second year in a row and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. This was the 16th conference title for Wartburg and 10th for head coach Rick Willis. Wartburg lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Bethel Royals. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 2017 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Rick Willis in his 19th season as head coach, the Knights compiled an overall record of 12–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning IIAC title for the first time since 2014 and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. Wartburg lost in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs to the Wisconsin–Oshkosh. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 2014 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Rick Willis in his 16th season as head coach, the Knights compiled an overall record of 12–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, winning IIAC title for the second year in a row and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs. Wartburg lost in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs to eventual national champion Wisconsin–Whitewater. The Knights held a 17-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but lost 37–33. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2010 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 2010 NCAA Division III football season. Led by Rick Willis in his 12th season as head coach, the Knights began the season with high hopes to return to the top of the conference with a veteran team. The Knights compiled an overall record of 10–1 with a mark of 8–0 in conference play, finishing atop the IIAC for the 12th time and completing their first undefeated regular season since 2003. They earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs, losing at home to the eventual national semifinalist Bethel Royal in the first round. During the season head coach Rick Willis earned his 100th career coaching victory with a win against Buena Vista. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

Eric Keller is a collegiate wrestling coach, currently at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. Keller was promoted to co-head coach in 2010 with then head coach Jim Miller, and became the sole head coach after Miller stepped down following the 2012–2013 season.

Jamie Mueller is an American, former collegiate softball second baseman and current head coach at Wartburg College. She played college softball at Aurora.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wartburg Knights women's basketball</span> College basketball team

The Wartburg Knights women's basketball team represents the Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, United States. The team is a member of the American Rivers Conference as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team plays its regular season games in Levick Arena, along with men's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2023 Wartburg Knights football team represents the Wartburg College as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. The Knights, led by third-year head coach Chris Winter, play home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa. The Knights clinched their 19th conference championship on October 28, 2023, with a win over Central College and then capped of the regular season 10–0 following a win at Nebraska Wesleyan. Wartburg ended the season in the national semifinals for the second straight year, losing to North Central 34–27.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walston-Hoover Stadium</span> Athletic facility at Wartburg College

Walston–Hoover Stadium, formerly Schield Stadium, is a stadium in Waverly, Iowa. It is primarily used for American football, and track and field and has a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium has hosted two NCAA track and field National Championships and multiple NCAA DIII football playoff games, including an NCAA Semifinal in 2023, telecast on ESPN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2008 Wartburg Knights football team represented Wartburg College as a member of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 2008 NCAA Division III football season. The Knights were led by Rick Willis in his 10th season as head coach, and first season back after transitioning to athletic director following the 2005 season. The Knights compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, finishing atop the IIAC for the 11th time and first since time since 2004. They earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs, losing at home to the eventual national runner-up Wisconsin–Whitewater in the quarterfinal round. The team played home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

Landon Williams is a collegiate wrestling coach, currently at Central College (Iowa) in Pella, Iowa. Williams was announced as Central's head men's wrestling coach in April 2024 following 5 years as an assistant at his alma mater, Wartburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Wartburg Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2024 Wartburg Knights football team represent Wartburg College as a member of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) during the 2024 NCAA Division III football season. Head coach Chris Winter will be coaching his 4th season. The team will play home games at Walston-Hoover Stadium in Waverly, Iowa.

The 2023 American Rivers Conference football season was the season of college football played by the nine member schools of the American Rivers Conference (ARC) as part of the 2023 NCAA Division III football season. The 2023 Wartburg Knights football team compiled a 13–1 record, won the ARC championship, and made it to the NCAA Division III semifinal where they lost to North Central (IL) 34–27.

References

  1. "Chris Winter Promoted to Head Football Coach". go-knights.net. July 1, 2021.
  2. "Wartburg Football Roster". Wartburg College Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  3. "Hall of Fame". Wartburg College Athletics. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  4. Nelson, Jim (July 1, 2021). "Wartburg College's Rick Willis stepping into new role at school". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier . Cedar Falls, Iowa . Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  5. "Mount Union Ends Wartburg's Incredible Season". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Cedar Falls, Iowa. December 10, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  6. Rogers, Tim (December 10, 2022). "Mount Union shades Wartburg with last-minute touchdown for Stagg Bowl berth". The Alliance Review. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. "2022 D3football.com All-America Team". D3football.com. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  8. Nelson, Jim (December 9, 2023). "Wartburg Fights to Finish Stunned Late in National Semifinal Loss to No. 1 North Central". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Cedar Falls, Iowa. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  9. "Chris Winter Bio". go-knights.net. Wartburg Athletics. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
  10. "Tara Winter Bio". wartburg.edu. Wartburg College. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

Further reading