Evangel University Athletics

Football Coaching Staff

Brenton Illum

Brenton Illum

Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator

Recruiting Area: Florida, Southern California JC’s, Springfield city and area
(417) 865-2815 ext. 7825
Email Coach Illum – School Bio

Brenton Illum will enter his second season as the head coach / defensive coordinator of Evangel University’s football program in 2011. Illum completed his first season as a head coach and led the Crusaders to a 4-6 record in 2010. The record marked a one-game improvement from the previous season.

The 1998 Evangel graduate was named head coach on Nov. 24, 2009 becoming the sixth head coach in the program’s 34 year history. Illum was previously at Western State College of Colorado, an NCAA-II program, where he served as the assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and linebackers coach.

In 2009, Illum was one of three finalists for the NCAA-II National Assistant Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association following his season at Western State. The award is based on on-field performance as well as service to the community, charitable work, volunteer activities, and the impact on the lives of student-athletes.

Illum was a linebacker for the Crusaders on the 1994 team and a car accident ended his playing career. He became a student assistant coach for next three seasons before graduating with a degree in Physical Education.

The 35-year old left Evangel’s program in 2001 to become defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and strength coach at Fort Lewis (Colorado, NCAA-II) College. Illum returned to the Springfield in 2004 joining the coaching staff at Missouri State University (NCAA-I FSC) where he was special teams coordinator and coached defensive linemen and linebackers for two seasons under head coach Randy Ball.

Illum was born in Chicago, Illinois and graduated high school at Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, Kansas. He has been married for 13 years to Molly (Hawkins) Illum, a 1999 Evangel graduate, who was a standout volleyball player in the Lady Crusaders program. Molly has had coaching success in the high school and college levels in her sport and is currently the head volleyball coach at Central High School in Springfield.

Coaching Experience

Education

Background

Joe Bever

Joe Bever

Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks

Recruiting Area: Texas high schools, Western half of Jayhawk JC Conference
(417) 865-2815 ext. 7466
Email Coach Bever – School Bio

Joe Bever will enter his second season as an Evangel assistant coach in 2011 and will serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

In his first season, Bever led an offense that improved its production by nearly 100 yards per game from the previous season and Evangel’s QB Richie Roepke was named an all-conference performer.

Bever served as an assistant coach at West Texas A&M in 2009 where he helped guide one of the most prolific passing attacks in NCAA-II with his team averaging 354 passing yards per game, completing 28 touchdown passes in 12 games and posting 31.8 points per game.

Bever was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Colorado from 2006-08 and served as a volunteer assistant at Boise State in 2005. He was a quarterbacks / running backs coach at St. Peter’s College (NCAA-I, FCS) in New Jersey for the 2004 season.

Bever played quarterback at Clemson University and earned a varsity letter during his senior season in 2002. He earned a degree in finance from Clemson in 2003 and has a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Colorado. He was born in Reedsport, Oregon and is a graduate of Evergreen High School in Vancouver, Washington.

Ben Blake

Ben Blake

Offensive Line

(417) 865-2815
Email Coach Blake – School Bio

Ben Blake enters his first season with the Evangel University football program and will serve as offensive line coach and running game coordinator. Blake previously served as offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator at Southwest Baptist for the last four seasons.

Prior to his stint at SBU, Blake served as an assistant coach at Highland Community College in Kansas for two years and was a graduate assistant coach working with the offensive line and tight ends at Concordia University-Wisconsin (NCAA-III).

While at Southwest Baptist, Blake helped the Bearcats to a 7-4 record in 2010 and assisted to lead a prolific offense. The Bearcats averaged nearly 40 points per game and 504 yards of offense per game including 195 rushing yards and 309 passing yards. The offensive line surrendered just 17 sacks in their 11 games that season.

Blake played collegiate football at Concordia (Wis.) University and was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in the Illini-Badger Football Conference in his senior season in 2003. He was a three-time all-conference performer and an All-North Region selection in his senior year. Blake played for Prairie Grove High School in Northwest Arkansas and was named to the All-State team in addition to being an all-region selection and was a three-time all-conference performer.

He graduated from Concordia University with a degree in business management, a minor in public relations and he earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a marketing emphasis.

He and his wife Alyssa reside in Bolivar.

Photo of Chris Wash – Tight Ends

Chris Wash

Linebackers / Director of Football Operations

Recruiting Area: Filters incoming recruits from high schools, private schools, junior colleges and transfers
Email Coach Wash

Chris Wash will be in his second year with the Evangel coaching staff and will work with linebackers in addition to his role as director of football operations. Last year, Wash coached the tight ends. Wash is a native of Topeka, Kansas and was the defensive line coach at Topeka West High School in 2008-2009.

Wash played for Missouri State and was an All-Gateway Conference performer for the Bears as a defensive lineman. He led the team in sacks in 2006 and was named Missouri State’s Defensive Lineman of the Year that season.

After graduating with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies, he was an assistant football coach at Glendale High School for two seasons. He and his wife Alena have two boys, Chris Jr. and Tatum.

Kyle Williams

Kyle Williams

Defensive Backs

Recruiting Area: Arkansas
(417) 865-2815 ext. 7361
Email Coach Williams – School Bio

Kyle Williams will enter his first season as an Evangel coach in 2011 coaching defensive backs. Williams has spent the last three seasons as a defensive graduate assistant coach at Kansas State under head coach Bill Snyder. He also interned with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 2010 working with head coach Raheem Morris, the special teams coordinator and assisting with organized team activities.

Williams was an all-conference safety in the Big 12 in 2006 during his senior year at Kansas State. He recorded 61 tackles that season, third best on the team. Williams earned two varsity letters with the Wildcats (2005-06), was on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and signed a free agent contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007.

Prior to his career at K-State, Williams played two years at Navarro (Texas) Junior College and was ranked among the top junior college safeties in the country.

Originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, Williams played high school football at Watson Chapel H.S. and earned three varsity letters and was a starter for two seasons. He is the second youngest of 13 children in his family.

Williams earned a Master’s degree in Counseling and Student Development from Kansas State in 2010 as well as a undergraduate degree in Sociology from the same school in 2006. Williams was working toward a Doctorate in Education when he transitioned to Evangel. He was also active with several community groups in Manhattan, Kansas including the city’s food bank and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Williams now resides in Springfield.

Dale Garrett

Dale Garrett

Running Backs

(417) 865-2815 ext. 8211
Email Coach Garrett – School Bio

The 2011 Evangel football season will be Lt. Col. Dale Garrett’s ninth on the gridiron staff as he serves as running backs coach. Garrett’s running backs have won eight all-conference honors, including two first team selections.

Garrett is a 1974 graduate of West Liberty State College where he won seven letters in football and wrestling and captained his senior squads. Until recently, he held the West Liberty State school records for most rushing yards (278) and most rushes (43) in a single game. Upon graduating, Garrett taught at Real Life Christian Academy, directed a group home for troubled youth, and played semi-pro football with the Tuscarawas County Vikings in the Ohio Football League from 1974 to 1978.

In 1979 Garrett joined the U.S. Air Force and retired in December 2002 to assume teaching duties in the Social Science Department at Evangel University. Over the course of his Air Force career, Garrett logged 3,000 flying hours as a B-52 crewmember, commanded three different squadrons, and was awarded the Bronze Star for actions during Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM. He served in the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, and was responsible for developing the newest completely electronic B-52, B-1 and B-2 training range in U.S. air space. Garrett earned his Master’s degree from Central Michigan University.

Lt. Col. Garrett and his wife, Martha, have three grown children.

Photo of John Hunt – Defensive Assistant / Cornerbacks

John Hunt

Wide Receivers / Speed Development Coordinator

Recruiting Area: On-campus visits
Email Coach Hunt

John Hunt will enter his third year as a graduate assistant with the Crusaders in 2011 serving as the wide receivers’ coach and the speed development coordinator. Hunt completed his college career for the Crusaders in 2008 and was a fixture in Evangel’s secondary and on special teams through his career. He compiled three interceptions, including one for a touchdown, and recovered two fumbles during his senior season in 2008.

The St. Louis native graduated from Evangel in 2009 and is pursuing a graduate degree in school counseling.

Photo of Shawn Hardiman

Shawn Hardiman

Offensive Line Assistant

Recruiting Area: offensive line cross-checker

Shawn Hardiman will be in his second year as an assistant coach for the offensive line in 2011. Hardiman has previously served as a high school assistant coach and junior varsity head coach in California at Desert High School and Rosamond High School. He is originally from Lancaster, California and relocated to Springfield in 2006.

In addition to coaching, the 41-year old was also employed as an aircraft mechanic for Northrop Grumman. Hardiman is a double-major pursuing degrees in Social Studies Education (Secondary) and History at Evangel. He and his wife Barbara have two sons, Jonathan (19), Joshua (16), and a daughter Madison (5).

Matt Garriott

Matt Garriott

Graduate Assistant-Offensive Line / Assistant Recruiting Coordinator

Recruiting Area: All Internet contacts and web-based recruiting services
Email Coach Garriott – School Bio

Matt Garriott joins the coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach working with the offensive line and will serve as assistant recruiting coordinator. Garriott completed his playing career with Evangel last season and was a four year letterman for the Crusaders playing center and guard. Garriott graduated last year with a degree in Physical Education while he minored in Sports Administration. He is originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas and was a two-time all-conference performer at Fayetteville High School. Garriott will be pursuing a Master’s degree in Education at Evangel and he currently resides in Springfield.