PELLA — The stadium that bears Ron Schipper's name will now also feature his likeness.
A 7-foot bronze statue of Central College's iconic College Football Hall of Fame coach will be unveiled at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Heritage Plaza inside Ron and Joyce Schipper Stadium. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
Schipper, a native of Northville, Mich. who died near his retirement home in Holland, Mich. in 2006, was head football coach at Central from 1961-96, posting winning records in all 36 seasons. He posted a remarkable 287-67-3 record (.808) with a record 18 Iowa Conference championships, 12 NCAA Division III playoff berths and the 1974 national title. Schipper also served as athletics director from 1964-93.
Schipper's wife, Joyce, who lives in Holland, Mich., and other Schipper family members are expected to attend the dedication.
The statue was created by Brian Hanlon of Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River, N.J. Hanlon will be in Pella this week to oversee the statue installation. Hanlon has sculpted more than 200 public art pieces and has created statues of many prominent sports figures including Dean Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Yogi Berra, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis and Bob Cousy. His work is featured at the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame and numerous first responder memorials.He's the official sculptor for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
"You don't have to be at Central very long to know the impact that Coach Schipper had on this place, and that extends far beyond the athletics program," said athletics director Eric Van Kley. "It will be very meaningful for our alumni to have this statue on permanent display, but I think it's equally meaningful for our current student-athletes to have this visible reminder of Coach Schipper and the values he not only believed in but lived out.
"At Central we talk about being Forever Dutch and I don't think there's anyone that phrase could better describe."
The idea for the recognition came from John Edwards, a 1972 Central grad and long-time athletics administrator at the college who retired in 2015, played for Schipper and was on his coaching staff for 24 years. Edwards saw Hanlon's display at an NCAA convention nine years ago.
"We didn't have the dollars available back then so it got put on the back burner for a while," Edwards said. "But when we received some resources that made it viable, it moved ahead."
On top of a pair of lead gifts, additional dollars were donated by numerous former Central football players, assistant coaches, cheerleaders and staff members, including, most prominently, members of the school's 1974 NCAA Division III championship squad, spearheaded by team captain Al Dorenkamp, who later served as the college's athletics director.
Edwards said Schipper was a guiding force in his life and for many others as well.
"Coach Schipper built a very successful program, but this is about much more than how many football games he won," Edwards said. "What made him special were the relationships he had with his players and, really, with anyone who came in contact with him."
The statue is based on a photo from a 1993 game and depicts Schipper with his hands on the shoulders of a player after the player came off the field.
Edwards said Schipper's 36-year mantra of wanting his players to be a "student, athlete and gentleman" is embodied in the statue.
"That says more than his won-loss record," he said. "I'm happy to have it on display in a prominent place so people can understand why this program has been so successful and why it will continue to be successful."
Schipper was active in the American Football Coaches Association and was the second Division III coach ever to serve as the 8,000-member organization's president. He was also on the NCAA Division III Football Committee for a six-year term and spent a year as national chair. He also spent six years on the NCAA Football Television Committee, the NCAA Football Rules Committee and as chair of the AFCA's College Division All-America Selection Committee. Following his retirement he served on Central's board of trustees.
As athletics director, he helped build one of Division III's top programs, with seven national team titles during his tenure. In his final 16 years in the post, Central won 18 men's and women's all-sports titles.
Schipper was a Hope College (Mich.) graduate, lettering in football, baseball and tennis. He was named a distinguished alumnus there and received the school's distinguished achievement award. He earned a master's degree from the University of Michigan.
