Central College Athletics
"Excellence with integrity"
MISSION
The Central College athletic department mission is to offer student-athletes the opportunity to compete in an environment that supports the highest levels of commitment, personal growth, respect, enthusiasm, integrity, and excellence. This mission will be carried out within the framework of the general mission of Central College, which promotes the development of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit.
BELIEFS
Belief #1 - Athletics will be a fun experience for everyone involved.
Action statement: We will create an environment where student-athletes and staff have an enjoyable and meaningful experience while keeping the focus of athletics as a game and learning process, not a way of life. We encourage all teams to support each other attending contests and providing positive reinforcement.
Belief #2 - Sportsmanship will be a top priority in our programs.
Action statement: Students, coaches, fans, and administrators will work together to set standards for appropriate conduct while competing and will hold each other accountable to these standards.
Belief #3 - (Everyone is someone) Participation at some level is a key to program outcomes.
Action statement: Coaches will identify and articulate roles for all student-athletes and junior varsity programs will be developed and utilized when appropriate to allow opportunities to compete.
Belief #4 - Athletics, academics, and Christian values work together to develop people.
Action statement: Coaches will promote excellence in the classroom by providing appropriate time allocations for studies and encouragement to seek assistance from professors, tutors, and other services. Personal growth resources on campus and in the community will be identified and encouraged.
Belief #5 - Competing in a Central College uniform will be a lifelong thrill.
Action statement: The experiences and relationships developed while competing in a uniform at Central College will enable student-athletes to have a successful career, take ownership in the programs, and connect players to alumni.
Belief #6 - Athletic programs will plan and prepare to compete at the highest levels possible for each sport.
Action statement: Schedules will be developed for each sport to compete at the highest regional and national levels possible. Coaching staffs that are appropriate for squad sizes and skilled to teach student-athletes to reach their full potential will be developed and supported. Recruiting plans that attract high-achieving student-athletes with abilities to succeed at any level of university and college competition will be implemented.
 Al Dorenkamp
Athletics director
Al Dorenkamp is in his eighth year as Central College athletics director.
For the 2005-06 academic year, Dorenkamp took on additional duties as interim dean of student life.
In 2004 he began serving a four-year term on the NCAA Division III Football Committee, serving as chair for 2005-06.
Dorenkamp, a 1975 Central graduate, was a captain and all-American linebacker for the NCAA Div. III champion football team in 1975. He came to Central from Carroll , Iowa , where he served as Carroll High School 's principal.
A native of Thornton , Iowa , Dorenkamp received his master's degree in education administration from the University of South Dakota , and was a graduate assistant football coach there.
Dorenkamp taught science and coached for three years in the Sheffield-Chapin school district and for five years at Denison , earning conference coach of the year honors three times and district coach of the year recognition once. He then served as a secondary principal at Center Point for three years. In 1987, he became high school principal at Waverly-Shell Rock. He left the high school in 1995, but remained in Waverly for two years as sales manager at Rubber Development, Inc., before moving to Carroll in 1997.
Dorenkamp's wife, Jo Ann, is also a Central graduate. They have two daughters, Joy and Holly.
 John Edwards
Associate athletics director
John Edwards is in his 33rd year on the Central staff. A native of San Jose , Calif. , Edwards is a 1972 graduate of Central where he earned eight varsity letters in football and baseball and was selected three consecutive years to NAIA district 15-all area team and to the NAIA all-America baseball team in 1970. Edwards also served as an assistant football coach for the Dutch for 24 seasons and was the head baseball coach for 25 years (1978-2002).
Edwards was the college's interim athletics director for the 1996-97 academic year and took on additional interim duties for 2005-06.
Alicia O'Brien, 
Senior Woman Administrator
After 17 seasons as a highly successful head coach at Western Connecticut State University , Alicia O'Brien is in her first year as associate head coach at Central. She also serves as the athletics department's senior woman administrator and works with the college admission office as transfer student coordinator.
At Western Connecticut State O'Brien posted a 423-213-3 (.664) softball record, guiding the Colonials to a 28-18 mark and their eighth NCAA Division III tournament berth in 2006. She piloted Western Connecticut State to the NCAA finals in 2002 and her teams posted 20 or more wins 13 straight seasons, capturing Little East Conference championships three times since 2001. She served as the school's associate athletics director and senior woman administrator as well.
A Western Connecticut State University graduate, O'Brien also earned a master's degree there in counseling. She served on the school's Hall of Fame Committee and was a member of its Wellness Initiative. She served a five-year term as a Title IX consultant with the Danbury , Conn. school system. The long-time director of the Western Connecticut Softball Camp, O'Brien was also an NFCA Division III Regional All-America Committee member.
O'Brien is the wife of Dutch head softball coach George Wares.
|
