The building of the Dordt College football program is officially underway. John Heavner officially began his duties as head coach last week and the college will begin varsity competition in 2008. For Heavner it is an opportunity few coaches get and that’s to start with a blank slate.
Heavner says he doesn’t have to change the attitude of his players, he can teach them the way he wants things done. He says he can have a hand in everything from the type of socks they wear to the offense they run.
It also offers unique challenges and one of those is to find enough players for a junior varsity schedule in 2007. Heavner says he has to be sure they have a squad of 40 to 50 guys by the time they’re ready to play. He says he knows the work it takes to find 10 or 12 guys and the immediate challenge is finding the players to build the squad.
Building a competitive program takes time and Heavner says that is especially the case in the Great Plains Conference. Heavner says the conference is successful on the national level, so you have to be pretty good to win in the conference.