Plymouth County Sports Briefs

Bill Bleil

Morningside football players receive honors

Sioux City -- Seven Morningside College football players have been named Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. The seven honored include Ryan Oetken - a senior defensive back from Akron - and Adam Teut - a junior linebacker from Hinton.

Oetken has a 3.87 cumulative GPA with majorrs in biology and chemistry.

Teut has a 3.55 cumulative GPA with a major in general science teaching.

Student-athletes must be of at least junior academic status and have a minimum GPA of 3.50 in order to be eligible for Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors.

Football

Remsen native Bleil is Rhoads' first staff hire

Ames -- Remsen native Bill Bleil, who coached with Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads at Pacific and Pittsburgh, is Rhoads' first hire. Bleil, who has coached all-star performers in several conferences, including the Big Ten and Big East, will serve as assistant head coach and oversee an offensive position to be determined. He was also the head coach at Western Carolina for five seasons.

Bleil just completed his fourth season at Akron, where he was the assistant head coach the last three seasons.

"Iowa is home to my family," Bleil said. "The family part of this is important. Even more important however is that Paul Rhoads is a great hire for Iowa State. He is smart, driven and is just what Iowa State needs in a football coach."

The 49-year-old Bleil has also coached at Pittsburgh in 2004, at Northern Illinois in 2003, at Western Carolina from 1997 to 2001, at Pacific from 1992 to 1995 and at Northwestern from 1990 to 1991.

Bleil and his wife Laurel have two children, Kevin (22) and Tim (20).