Shafrath honored by IFCA Hall of Fame

DALLAS CENTER – Long-time former Hampton-Dumont football coach Jerry Shafrath officially entered the Iowa Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 18 during a ceremony at Dallas Center-Grimes High School during a private ceremony.

Shafrath said he’d heard about his induction about a year ago following the IFCA clinic in Des Moines.

“I was told I was nominated for the next year,” Shafrath said. “I kind of broke down a bit. It was an accomplishment, a lot of great coaches over the years. Kind of overwhelming, kind of humbling. It’s a lot to hear. You feel good because you had a lot of impact on people’s lives. People were very supportive of Hampton-Dumont football when I was coaching, it was a blessing, and I’m very excited.”

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all of the honorees at the ceremony were separated throughout the day. Past honorees have been recognized during the state football finals.

Also being honored by the Hall of Fame this year are Tom Wilson, West Des Moines Dowling; Duane Schulte, Cedar Rapids Xavier; and Jim Dunne, Grinnell.

Shafrath coached, including his time as an assistant, for a total of 31 years. His head coaching record overall was 115-128, including his start at Corwith-Wesley for four years. He also spent two years at Lena-Winslow in Illinois before becoming assistant coach at Hampton-Dumont.

“I just think I was blessed to be in the situation I was in at Hampton-Dumont,” Shafrath said. “We had some struggles about winning games at times. There were times when we won a lot of games, trying to develop young boys into young men: That was our goal, to create good character and those that are surrounded by our program. It’s always nice, a reward to win the award, obviously what it meant our relationships what we had with our players, with families, coaches and Sideliners program.

Shafrath made sure to recognize all of the help he’s had with assistant coaches and the Bulldogs’ strength and conditioning program, including Heath Walton, Scott Hoegh, Dan Aalbers, Mike Elling, Mike Schimp, Joel Heuer and Dennis Swieter.

“I had great coaches with me from the beginning,” Shafrath said. “That says a lot about our program, trying to find staff members. I love every one of those guys. They were willing to commit and were willing to commit to the young men that we worked with on a daily basis. I was excited and appreciative of what they gave of themselves. We’ve had some good coaches here and moved on, and able to fill with quality people. You are as good as those who are surrounding you.

“The people who supported our Sideliners program were awesome. They were always willing to support, win or lose. They gave financially to make sure our facilities were in top shape and well-respected around the state of Iowa. We always felt our kids played hard and worked hard. We all believed in working hard.”

A native of Ohio, Shafrath graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1984, and once he landed at Hampton-Dumont, over a 24-year span, his teams won 102 games and three district championships, including seven playoff appearances and a string of 28 consecutive regular season victories from 2005 to 2008.

Shafrath was a five-time district coach of the year while wearing many hats at Hampton-Dumont as a teacher and administrator before retiring from teaching in 2018.

He and his wife, Kris, had two children, son Ross (wife Tara) and daughter, Paige.

“It’s awesome to have that (honor),” Shafrath said. “To go into the Hall of Fame with such great coaches, it gives you a sense of respect, I guess. Not everybody gets a chance to receive that in their lifetime. One of those lifetime accomplishments, that’s makes you feel good. I’m thankful to our players and the relationships they still have.

“It’s hard to believe. I am thankful to God.”