Waldstein joins a different group of Hawks
Eric Waldstein is leaving the Hawkeye State to join the Hawks.
The 33-year-old Waldstein, who spent most of his life as a football player or coach in Iowa, was named Monday as the new head coach at Harper College.
"I'm very excited about the future here," Waldstein said from his new office in Palatine. "I'm expecting some great things."
Waldstein replaces Dragan Teonic, who led the Hawks to an NJCAA Division III (non-scholarship school) national title and No. 3 national ranking in his third and final season.
Waldstein, who will be a member of the physical education department, will be considered the acting head coach until his full-time contract starts Aug. 18. Those positions are pending approval of the Harper Board of Trustees later this month.
"He stood above the rest in his ability, level of organization and commitment to the individual student-athlete," said Harper athletic director Doug Spiwak, "which really goes hand-in-hand with our philosophy.
"Our program has been successful for many, many, many years but for me that's gravy. How do we treat each individual student and help them attain their goals is what's truly important."
Waldstein spent the last three years at Cornell College in Iowa as an offensive assistant and special teams coordinator. He coached inside linebackers for two years at Carthage College, running backs for three years at Simpson College in Iowa and coached at South Dakota Tech and Morningside College in Iowa, his alma mater.
The native of Sioux Rapids, Iowa played his first two years of college in his home state at Buena Vista for Kevin Twait. He is the head coach at Iowa Central, which is in the Midwest Football Conference with Harper.
"He is one of my mentors and guys I look up to a lot in the college profession," Waldstein said. "I know the success and class he runs his program with at Iowa Central.
"Coming to Harper, I'll model my program after his and bring the same type of class, excellence and success.
"Everything will be done with class and excellence. I want kids to enjoy playing here and I want it to be a great experience for them."
Waldstein said he'll emphasize running the ball and controlling the clock, playing a pressure defense to create turnovers and making things happen on special teams.
Waldstein's next two issues will be putting together a staff and recruiting.
Spiwak said defensive coordinator Geoff Durian, a full-time member of the Harper faculty, will be back. Bill Fudala, who was on the coaching staff two years ago and teaches at Harper, has been helping Durian in the transition and may return.
Spiwak and Waldstein said there will also be a greater emphasis on local and in-state recruiting.
Spiwak said he worked with the conference schools to have a set number of 20 out-of-state athletes on rosters when the season starts. He said the old number was 18 with an option for four roster changes during the season.
"I'm really going to emphasize recruiting local kids and kids within the Chicago area," Waldstein said.