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NJCAA Football Hall of Fame Releases Inductees of 2010 Class COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – This season the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame will welcome four new inductees, consisting of a pair of head coaches and two previous National Championship teams. Bert Williams, current head coach and Athletic Director at Georgia Military College, and Jeff Leiker, previous head coach at Garden City Community College (Kan.) and Coffeyville Community College (Kan.), highlight this year’s class. Along with the two coaches, the 1985 Snow College (Utah) and 2002 Joliet Junior College (Ill.) national title teams complete the 2010 class of inductees.

Bert Williams
Coach; Georgia Military College (2000-Present) Through his tenure at Georgia Military College, Williams has developed the Bulldogs into one of the nation’s elite NJCAA programs. Under Williams, the Bulldogs have made a substantial leap, as he has guided the Bulldogs from a 13thoverall program ranking in the 1990’s (based on the final NJCAA football polls), to a number three ranking in the 2000’s. However, perhaps his greatest accomplishment was achieved only in his second year as head coach. After only one season directing the program, Williams guided GMC to the 2001 national title. Lead by the NJCAA Defensive Player of the Year Randy Jackson and the NJCAA Lea Plarski Award recipient Jermaine Harris, the Bulldogs produced a stout record-breaking defense allowing an average of only 67.6 yards per game. To add to the year’s list of accolades, six players earned All-American honors and Williams was honored as the NJCAA Football Coach of the Year. Since 2001, the Bulldogs have consistently produced national title contending teams. They twice finished as runners-up (2002 and 2005) and Williams has posted an overall record of 82-25 during his tenure, which ranks sixth among active NJCAA football coaches.

Williams has guided GMC to seven bowl games and 60of his players have earned NJCAA All-American status since 2000.

In addition to coaching, Williams has served as Treasurer/Secretary, Vice-President, and President for the NJCAA Football Coaches Association, and is the current Athletic Director for Georgia Military College. Jeff Leiker
Coach; Garden City Community College, Kan. (1994-98) and Coffeyville Community College, Kan. (2001-07) Leiker had quite an impact in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference during his 11 year career. During his tenure he won three conference championships, four Region 6 championships and was named Coach of the Year in the conference four times. He began his head coaching career at Garden City Community College (Kan.) where he lead the Broncbusters to three bowl appearances in four seasons. After holding a 30-11 record, Leiker decided to take his coaching career to the Division II level of the NCAA, joining Fort Hays State University as head coach. Leiker later returned to the NJCAA in 2001 as the head coach at Coffeyville Community College (Kan.) where he guided the Red Ravens to six consecutive bowl appearances and an overall record of 56-24 (.700).

After his seven years as head coach, Leiker retired from coaching to become the Athletic Director at Coffeyville, which he still serves as today. Leiker’s career NJCAA coaching record ended at 89-35 (.717 ). 1985 NJCAA Football Champions
Snow College, Utah The 1985 Snow College football team was a powerhouse.. Along with providing three NJCAA All-Americans, the Badgers had 15 total players that were recognized as first or second team All-Conference. Directed by head coach Walter Criner, Snow strung together a perfect regular season record, going undefeated in their first 10 games. For their final game of the season, Snow took on Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in the unfriendly territory of Tulsa, Okla. for the Mid-American Bowl to play for the national title. The Badgers took a 19-7 lead at halftime, and would continue to carry the double digit margin lead against the Norsemen throughout the rest of the game. Snow’s impressive defensive performance within the 30 yard line, forcing three turnovers, proved to be one of the deciding factors, as the Norsemen were unable to keep up with Snow’s striking offense, lead by quarterback Kevin White. The nation’s scoring leader, White, would receive Player of the Game honors, as he threw for 330 yards, two touchdowns and ran for another score. A total of 29 Badgers from the 1985 team would eventually continue their careers at NCAA DI or I-AA schools and some would go on to successful careers in collegiate athletics. Such players as defensive back and second team All-American Bronco Mendenhall (current head coach at BYU), defensive back Ken Beazer (current Athletic Director at Southern Utah University), and quarterback Kevin White (current Athletic Director at Snow College) highlight the list of talented players that would go to have careers in collegiate athletics. Snow’s 1985 coaching staff was also very impressive as offensive coordinator Gary Crowton and defensive coordinator Paul Tidwell have proven to be two of the best position coaches at the NCAA Division I level. Crowton is the current Offensive Coordinator at LSU and was the head coach at BYU from 2001-04, while Tidwell is the current inside linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator at BYU. Snow College is currently planning a 25-year reunion for the 1985 team on October 9th against Glendale Community College, Ariz. 2002 NJCAA National Champions
Joliet Junior College, Ill. Bob MacDougall directed the 2002 Joliet squad into arguably their school’s best season in its history. Not only did Joliet hold the record for the nation’s longest (at the time) winning streak of 21 games, but they also averaged a 26 point margin of victory against opponents, holding them to an average of 10 points per game. In addition, Joliet had two record breaking athletes in quarterback Jim Peyton (the Wolves’ all-time single season passing leader) and wide receiver Kelvin Hayden (the Wolves’ all-time single season leader in receptions), that highlighted a class that produced 18 All-Conference players, 14 All-Region players, and five All-Americans. After going undefeated in the regular season, Joliet capped off their unforgettable season with a come from behind victory against the defending national champion Georgia Military College. Although the Wolves quickly fell into a 14-0 deficit, they managed to press their way back into the game to earning a 24-14 victory. The Joliet defense held the nation’s leading rusher, Andre Hall, to a total of just 45 yards. The superb defensive lockdown was just another impressive performance from the Wolves as they held 10 opponents to just 38.7 rushing yards per game and allowed opponents to 2.9 yards per play over the course of the season. Joliet was also crowned the non-scholarship championship team for 2002, marking the first and only time a non-scholarship team has won the NJCAA Football Championship. Wide receiver Kelvin Hayden was honored as the game’s Most Valuable Player for grabbing the Wolves’ only touchdown reception. Hayden would go on to earn NJCAA First-Team All-American honors and was the 2002 NJCAA Player of the Year. He went on to earn All-Big 10 honors at Illinois as a defensive back and was a second round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts. In 2005 Hayden intercepted a Rex Grossman pass and returned it for a touchdown in the Colts’ 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 41. A total of 21 players off the 2002 squad continued their careers at four-year institutions, including five who competed at the NCAA Division I level. ABOUT the NJCAA FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
The NJCAA Football Coaches Association is an organization of football coaches from NJCAA member institutions. The membership consists of all dues paying coaches. Annual dues to this organization are $70. The group meets annually, conducting their business in conjunction with the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). ###