Stephen Sutherland Fickert is an American football coach who has coached at the high school, college, indoor professional, and international levels.

Stephen Fickert
Playing career
1968–1969Miami (OH)
1970–1972Butler
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1973Seeger HS (IN)
1974Western Michigan (GA)
1975–1976Wabash (DC)
1977Albion (DC)
1978–1979Maryville (TN)
1980Wayne State (MI)
1981–1983Western New Mexico
1985Upper Iowa
1987–1989Elmhurst HS (IN)
1995–1998William Blount (TN)
1999Seinäjoki Crocodiles
2000Hannover Musketeers
2001Tupelo Fire Ants
2002Bakersfield Blitz (AHC)
2003Peoria Pirates (OC)
2004Grand Rapids Rampage (AHC)
2005Quad City Steamwheelers (OL/DL)
2006McPherson (OC/AHC)
2008–2009Parker Lutheran HS (CO)
2011Huntington Hammer (GM)
2012–2013Briganti Napoli
2014–2015Allgau Comets (OC)
Head coaching record
Overall31–33–2 (college)
32–57 (high school)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Finnish Maple League (1999)

Playing career

edit

A native of Indianapolis, Fickert began his college football career at Miami of Ohio where he played for head coaches Bo Schembechler and Bill Mallory. He transferred to Butler University where he lettered 3 times from 1970 and 1972 and was named first team all–ICC.

Early coaching career

edit

Fickert’s coaching career began at Seeger High School in West Lebanon, Indiana in 1973, finishing with a record of 1 win and 9 losses. [1] He would then serve as a defensive coordinator at Wabash College for two years and for one year at Albion University where he was part of a very successful 1977 squad.[2]

College head coach

edit

Fickert was the head coach at Maryville College in Maryville, Tennessee from 1978 to 1979. A one-year stint at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan ended in 1980 after Fickert resigned in protest over budget cuts[3] He was the head coach of Brian VanGorder.[4] He would later go on to be the head coach at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, New Mexico from 1981 to 1983.

In 1985, Fickert made the unorthodox move of taking out $1,500 in advertising space in the Chicago Sun-Times to recruit players Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa where he was the coach for one year in 1985.[5]

High school, indoor, and international coaching

edit

Fickert served as the head coach at Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana from 1987 to 1989, finishing 7–20,[6] and William Blount High School in Maryville, Tennessee from 1995 to 1998, finishing 13–28.[7]

In 1999, Fickert coach the Seinäjoki Crocodiles of Seinäjoki, Finland to a championship in the Finnish Maple League and followed that with a one-year stint as the head coach of the Hannover Musketeers of the German Football League. In 2001, Fickert was the head coach of the Tupelo Fire Ants of the National Indoor Football League,[8] followed by stints as an assistant coach for the Bakersfield Blitz in 2002,[9] Grand Rapids Rampage in 2004, and the Quad City Steamwheelers in 2005.[10]

Fickert spent time as the offensive coordinator at McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas[11] before coaching Parker Lutheran High School in Parker, Colorado to a 9–9 record from 2008 to 2009.[12]

Fickert was the general manager of the Huntington Hammer in Huntington, West Virginia for the 2011 season. After that, he served as the head coach of the Briganti Napoli in the second division of the Italian Football League in 2013,[13] and offensive coordinator of the Allgau Comets of the German Football League from 2014 to 2015.

Head coaching record

edit

College

edit
Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Maryville Scots (NCAA Division III independent) (1978–1979)
1978 Maryville 8–1
1979 Maryville 7–2
Maryville: 15–3
Wayne State Tartars (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1980)
1980 Wayne State 5–4 3–3 4th
Wayne State: 5–4 3–3
Western New Mexico (Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) (1981–1983)
1981 Western New Mexico 1–8 1–7 9th
1982 Western New Mexico 4–5–1 2–5–1 6th
1983 Western New Mexico 5–4–1 4–3–1 3rd
Western New Mexico: 10–17–2 7–15–2
Upper Iowa Peacocks (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) (1985)
1985 Upper Iowa 1–9 1–6 8th
Upper Iowa: 1–9 1–6
Total: 31–33–2

References

edit
  1. ^ "1973 results". almanacsports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  2. ^ "The 1977 Football Team". gobrits.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  3. ^ "Subject Focus: D-Day for Wayne State Football". wayne.edu. December 16, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  4. ^ "Brian VanGorder". wsuathletics.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Benagh, Jim (July 30, 1985). "Scouting; Help Wanted". New York Times. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "Fort Wayne Elmhurst High School Football History". almanacsports.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Steve Fickert". Tennessee Football Database. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Eklins, Ashley (June 14, 2001). "Chuck Domino Story". Daily Journal. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Bakersfield Blitz (7-5) at QC Steamwheelers". Dispatch-Argus. July 6, 2002. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  10. ^ "Wheelers Watch". Quad-Cities Times. April 7, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  11. ^ "MC announces addistions to staff". McPherson College. August 1, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  12. ^ Devlin, Neil (September 10, 2008). "Class A team gets classy, savvy coach". Denver Post. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  13. ^ "Adrian College Defeats Brigante Napoli 64-0 in Italy". adrianbulldogs.com. Retrieved January 12, 2018.