Jewell Football: Cardinals Hire New Head Coach, Begin Preparing for NCAA Division II Transition

Jerod Kruse Named Head Football Coach

Jerod Kruse, defensive coordinator for the William Jewell College football Cardinals the previous two seasons, has been named the new head football coach at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.

During the past two summers, Kruse worked with the New Orleans Saints under the leadership of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. “Jerod impressed everyone in our Saints organization with his passion to learn and grow as a coach,” Williams said. “I think Jerod will do a great job representing the Cardinal football program. He is a tireless worker to improve his own abilities and all of those around him. Parents will feel very comfortable allowing their sons to play in his program. We are all very happy for him and happy for William Jewell to recognize his abilities.”

A native of Marysville, Kan., Kruse spent one season as the defensive secondary coordinator at Baker University, where he helped the Wildcats move from #8 in 2006 to a #3 ranking in 2007 in total pass defense in the HAAC. Before going to Baker, Kruse served five seasons as the secondary coordinator for Emporia State University, an NCAA Division II institution. In his time at ESU he coached one first team All-American, one first team Academic All-American, and five first team All-Conference performers. Kruse also played football at Emporia State, where he was named Special Teams Player of the Year during his junior year and Most Inspirational Player during his senior year. While at ESU, Kruse was part of a team that won a share of the 2003 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association’s conference championship.

“We are pleased to have a coach of Jerod’s caliber associated with the Cardinal football program,” said Dr. David Sallee, president of William Jewell College. “I am confident that he will provide outstanding leadership on the field and will be a positive role model for our student-athletes.”

William Jewell men’s football announces initial 2010 recruiting class
The William Jewell football program has announced 2010 Cardinal Football recruiting class.

"We feel that this is a great start to our recruiting class," said new head coach Jerod Kruse who will enter his third season with the Cardinals but first as head coach. "We feel extremely good about the quality of players and students that will be joining us here at Jewell. We believe we have filled some needs and we are still recruiting and there will be more signees announced at a later time.”

To view the complete list of recruits you can visit the William Jewell football recruit website here. 

Great Lakes Valley Established Timeline for Football Sponsorship

The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) has developed a timeline for adding football as a sponsored championship sport in the Conference. The timeline, which has been approved by the GLVC Council of Presidents, targets 2012 as the GLVC’s inaugural football season.

“The addition of football as the 18th championship sponsored by the GLVC is a significant step for the league and our member institutions that sponsor the sport,” said GLVC Commissioner Jim Naumovich. “The athletic directors from our football-playing institutions have all expressed their desire to compete in the GLVC and I am happy that we will be able to accommodate this request beginning in 2012.”

With the addition of William Jewell College as the GLVC’s 16th member institution, there are now six football-playing schools in the Conference, the minimum number of institutions needed to sponsor a sport in the GLVC.