IWC Football Alumni and Friends honoring 1991 team with first-ever skills camp

What started out as an idea to honor the Iowa Wesleyan College football program's only NAIA playoff qualifying squad has turned into the first-ever IWC Football Alumni and Friends offensive skills and kicking camp, set for tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mapleleaf Athletic Complex.

Jeff Humphrey, the current president of IWC Football Alumni and Friends, said the idea began with conversations and started coming together at a reunion earlier this year.

"Collectively, we got together at our last reunion and started talking about it and a way we could honor the 1991 team. One thing led to another, we contacted Hal Mumme and decided this is what we wanted to do and here we are today," said Humphrey.

Mumme, who was head coach of the IWC football program during the 1989, '90 and '91 seasons, joins what Humphrey calls a "pretty impressive list of coaches" who coached at IWC over the years along with former players. Also joining Mumme at the camp and coaches clinic, set for Saturday morning at Ruble Arena, will be former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach [offensive coordinator under Mumme at IWC], Tom Horne along with former IWC players Doug Elisaia, Marc Hill and Dustin Dewald who was the quarterback at IWC from 1989 to 1991.

"It's a camp for the kids to really get exposure to a Division I coach if you will. These same Division I coaches, at least four of them, will be presenting at the clinic the following day," said Humphrey. "It's an offensive skills and kicking camp so we expect a lot of the local high school coaches and even junior high coaches to come and learn something."

As of Wednesday afternoon, 100 campers had signed up for Friday's camp but Humphrey noted it was hard to tell how many they would have as registration would still be open Friday morning prior to the camp's start.

Humphrey was a member of the football program from 1983 through 1985, noting that those players were the first invites to help with the camp before the invitations were sent to other alumnus.

"The school provided us with the '89-'92 individuals who were on that team and we did send out an email and a letter to both of those groups, asking them to RSVP," said Humphrey. "We've had several players and coaches that are still in the coaching profession respond and say they would love to assist.

"This is our first annul, we're going to continue to do it year after year. We hope it grows into something for Southeast Iowa that is going to be beneficial as we continue to grow our organization and help Iowa Wesleyan College and the football program," continued Humphrey.