Pioneer Coach Mike Emendorfer

"Yes, we will run the ball. We will run with it after we catch it."

With that quote from his 1999 introductory press conference, UW-Platteville Coach Mike Emendorfer ushered in a new, exciting era of Pioneer football.

In Emendorfer’s 10 seasons, the Pioneers have broken 39 school records and 10 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference marks while playing a wide-open offense. In 2008, Emendorfer unveiled even more wrinkles, with as many as three quarterbacks in the lineup at the same time and direct snaps to a number of different positions.

Emendorfer’s spread offense has featured three games with more than 70 pass attempts, yet also contests that saw the single-game rushing record fall when Mike Genslinger ran for 285 yards against UW-River Falls in 2006.

Emendorfer earned the WIAC Coach of the Year Award for 2004, a season in which the Pioneers achieved their first winning record since 1992. The Pioneers finished 6-4, beating top-20 teams Augustana, UW-Whitewater and UW-Eau Claire. Emendorfer also took his team out to Pennsylvania, where the Pioneers beat Thiel 40-14. Along the way, the team toured Notre Dame and its stadium as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The travels have not been limited to the United States, as the Pioneers toured parts of Europe and played games in Germany in both 2003 and 2007.

In 1999, his very first year, the Pioneers snapped a 24-game WIAC losing streak with a stunning 27-14 win over UW-La Crosse. The Pioneers more than lived up to their “Thrill is in the Air” motto, as they passed for 2,651 yards and 20 touchdowns, in stark contrast from their former Wing-T running attack.

UW-Platteville fans embraced their exciting brand of ball as well, with attendance jumping by an average of 904 fans per game from the previous year.

The Pioneers have produced some memorable moments over the years, such as beating WIAC favorite UW-Stout 34-31 in overtime on Homecoming 2002 and topping NCAA Division I Drake 21-20 in 2003 and by 33-23 in 2004. UW-Platteville won two games on the final play in 2004, defeating Augustana 25-23 on a last-second field goal and UW-Eau Claire 20-17, when Emendorfer by-passed a chip shot field goal and went for the win with a successful one-yard touchdown plunge. In 2006, the Pioneers overcame a 20-3 deficit to defeat UW-Stout 31-27 during a nationally televised game by Fox Sports Net. The 2007 season featured a 16-6 win over NAIA power St. Ambrose and a 37-34 last-second win over UW-La Crosse, also televised by FSN Wisconsin. The 2008 campaign featured back-to-back conference shutout wins for the first time since 1950, as the Pioneers beat UW-River Falls 7-0 and UW-Oshkosh 28-0 on successive weekends.

Emendorfer came to UW-Platteville from Hanover (Ind.) College, where he had been the offensive coordinator for eight years. During that time, Hanover won three conference titles, produced two NCAA III playoff berths and led the nation in passing four times. The Pioneers repeated that success in 2001 by leading all of NCAA III in passing yardage with 358.8 yards per game.

Emendorfer previously served as the offensive coordinator at Quincy University and the passing coordinator at Grinnell College before going to Hanover. He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, son Logan, and daughter Rachel.

	Ulz Daeuber - Assistant Head Coach/WR/Special Teams daeuberu@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1072 Ulz Daeuber, the longest-serving assistant on the staff, was named the assistant head coach in 2008. He also coaches the wide receivers and coordinates the special teams. He came to UWP in 1999 after coaching in his native Germany. He coached the linebackers for the German national team that won the Wilson European Junior Championships. He was defensive coordinator for the adult team, Schwaebisch Hall Unicorns. He was a foreign exchange student in Monrovia (Ind.) High School, where he played offensive guard and defensive end. Daeuber has two master’s degrees from University of Heidelberg and another from UW-Platteville. He and his wife, Anuschka Neuwald, have one son, Rafiqu Neuwald.
	Rob Erickson - Defensive Coordinator ericksor@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1345 Rob Erickson re-joined the Pioneers in 2008 as the new defensive coordinator and had an immediate impact. His unit held four teams under double figures and recorded the first back-to-back league shutouts since 1950. UWP beat UW-River Falls 7-0 and UW-Oshkosh 28-0 in consecutive weeks and also held league champion UW-Stevens Point to a field goal. Erickson was a four-year starter at defensive back, captaining the team as a senior in 1999. He led the team in interceptions in each of his last three seasons and was second in tackles in both 1997 and 1999. Erickson went on to coach at Stevens Point High School (2000-02), UW-Platteville (2002-03), UW-Stevens Point (2003-04), Iowa Wesleyan (2005) and Aurora (2005-08). He was the defensive coordinator at the last three stops. In 2007, he guided Aurora to a nationally ranked defensive with nine all-conference performers. The Spartans yielded 17 points and 280 yards per game. In two of his three seasons, Erickson led Aurora to first place in the Illini Badger Football Conference in forced turnovers. He finished his bachelor of science degree in history at UW-Stevens Point and earned his master’s at UWSP in general education in 2006. He and his wife, Kelly, have three children, Maya, Jared and Kami.
	Jason Wagner - Offensive Line/Strength&Conditioning wagnerjaso@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1472 Jason Wagner returned home in 2008 to coach the offensive line. The former Lancaster Flying Arrow star went on to start at UW-Stevens Point, helping the Pointers to an NCAA III playoff berth as a senior in 2001. He coached at his alma mater until leaving in 2004 for Coe. He joined the Aurora staff in 2005. Wagner served as the offensive line coach at all three places and served as the strength and conditioning coordinator. A health promotions/wellness major, he earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Stevens Point and his master’s of science in sports management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2006. He is married to Jen.
	Ryan Munz - Offensive Coordinator/QBs munzr@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1045 Ryan Munz is the newly-promoted offensive coordinator. He was a four-year quarterback for the Pioneers who earned the prestigious George Chryst Award in 2006. He joined the staff in 2007 as an offensive backs coach. The Highland native earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and is pursuing his master’s at UW-Platteville.
	Phil Micech - Defensive Line Phil Micech is the answer to a great trivia question, as he scored the first points in Arena Football League history, recording a safety. He was a two-time all-league defensive lineman for the Pioneers, in 1981-82, who went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings. Micech coaches the defensive line at his alma mater.
	Tom Christiansen - Kickers and Punters christianset@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1579 Christiansen was the two-year starting punter for the Pioneers, specializing in pinning the other team deep in its own territory. He had 16 of his 53 punts land inside the 20 during the 2007 season. He hails from Wheaton, Ill. and Warrenville South High School.
	Nolan Krajco - Inside Linebackers krajcon@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1579 Krajco earned the team's George Chryst Award in 2007 following a standout career. The Richland Center native was second on the team in tackles with 66.
	Mike Lauritsen - Wide Receivers lauritsm@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1579 Mike Lauritsen returns to his alma mater to help with the wide receivers. He is originally from Salem, Wis. and Westosha Central High School. He caught a 39-yard scoring pass in UWP's 25-23 win over nationally rankined Augustana in 2004.
	Matt Janus - Outside Linebackers janusm@uwplatt.edu - 608.342.1884 Matt Janus concluded his playing career in 2008 after starting at linebacker for the Pioneers. He was third on the team in tackles and had two QB sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. The Deer Park, Ill. native is an education major and an academic all-conference selection.