PELLA—His impact was in no need of further validation but nonetheless, iconic former Central College football coach Ron Schipper is included on a list of the 150 greatest coaches in 150 years of college football released by ESPN Tuesday.
           
Schipper, who died in 2006, is No. 77 on the list as selected by a panel of 150 media members, administrators and former players and coaches.
           
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/page/CFB150coaches/the-150-greatest-coaches-college-football-150-year-history
           
The list was compiled by longtime ESPN writer Ivan Maisel, who made a trip to Pella in 2006 to learn more about the memorable Dutch coach and athletics director.
           
With a career record of 287-67-3, Schipper is the 12th-winningest coach in NCAA football history. He ranked second in Division III in victories and fourth in Division III in winning percentage (.808) at the time of his retirement. Schipper also coached high school football in Michigan for nine years at Northville and Jackson. His combined 45-year record was 320-78-5.
           
Schipper posted 36 consecutive winning seasons in his Central career from 1961-96, winning a record 18 Iowa Conference championships in that span with 12 NCAA Division III playoff berths in his final 23 seasons. The Dutch won the 1974 Division III championship and reached the national finals in 1984 and 1988.
           
Paul "Bear" Bryant  (Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama) is No. 1 on the list ahead of Nick Saban (Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama), Knute Rockne (Notre Dame) and Tom Osborne (Nebraska).
           
Schipper is among 10 coaches on the list who spent the bulk of their careers in Division III. While the 150-member selection panel was skewed towards those with Division I ties, it  included Pat Coleman of D3football.com among those with Division III connections.
           
Schipper is among five on the list who served as head coaches at Iowa schools. Johnny Majors (Iowa State, 1968-72) is No. 62, Hayden Fry (Iowa, 1979-98) is No. 91, Earle Bruce (Iowa State, 1973-78; Northern Iowa, 1988) is No. 107 and Darrell Mudra (Northern Iowa, 1983-87) is No. 114.
           
In 2000, the National Football Foundation inducted Schipper into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.  Schipper was inducted as a charter member of the Central College Athletics Hall of Honor in 2002. Central's football stadium and fitness center bear his name.
Schipper was president of the 8,000-member American Football Coaches Association in 1994, served on the group's board of trustees from 1985-94 and was a member of the AFCA's College Football USA Blue Ribbon Task Force.  He was named one of the five most influential people in the NCAA Division III in 1994 by College Sports Magazine. 
Schipper later served on the board of directors of Football Foundation USA and was the USA team player coordinator during his retirement.  From 2000-03 Schipper served on Central's board of trustees.
           
Schipper received the inaugural Butterfield Award for outstanding performance as an NCAA Div. III coach at the USA III All-Star Game in 1997. He was also given a Citation of Honor award from the Football Writers Assocation of America for his service to college athletics and contributions to football.  In 1998, Schipper was presented the Johnny Vaught Lifetime Achievement Award from the All-American Football Foundation.
           
For six years Schipper was a member of the NCAA Div. III Football Committee, including a year as chair, and later was a member of the West Region Advisory Committee.  He also served six years on the NCAA Football Television Committee, the NCAA Football Rules Commitee, and as chair of the AFCA's College Division All-America Selection Committee.
           
Schipper had extensive international experience.  He took teams to conduct clinics and play exhibitions in Italy, England and Scotland in 1985 and 1989, in Australia in 1994, and in Switzerland, Austria and France in 1998.  He also conducted clinics in the Yucatan in Mexico and spent three months coaching a professional squad in England in 1988.  From 2000-05, he has served as the head coach of a team of AFCA Div. III all-stars competing at the Aztec Bowl in Mexico against a team of Mexican collegiate all-stars.