Athletic Hall of Fame
Class of 2012
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JACKIE BRIDGES (CLASS OF 1993)
Jackie Bridges is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. Bridges was a four-year letter winner in football from 1989-1992. He had an outstanding football career for the Peacocks playing under coaches Al Fisher and Paul Rudolph and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical recreation.
Bridges was honored by the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in each of his final three years with UIU. He was a first team All-IIAC wide receiver in 1991 and 1992 following a second team selection in 1990. Bridges still holds the Peacock record for receiving yards in a career with 2,642. He is fifth on the all-time list of career touchdown receptions with 18 and second in career receptions with 188.
After graduating from Upper Iowa, Bridges played Minor League Football for the Dallas Diesel Football Club for thirteen years as a receiver. He currently holds seven receiving records. In 2007, the Dallas Diesel honored the UIU alum by retiring his #8 Diesel jersey. He was a nine-time NAFL all-star and remains with the Diesels as the assistant head coach.
A 1989 graduate of R.L. Turner High School in Carrollton, Texas, Bridges excelled in all athletics. He was named to the 12-5A All District team for the Lions.
Bridges has worked for T.D. Auto Finance for the past fourteen years. He married Laura Brown Bridges, a 1997 UIU Alumni, last June and their family consists of seven children; Jalen, Jenna, Trejan, TaKoda, Caio, Carmen and Isabella.
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MATT COWLEY (CLASS OF 2000)
Matt Cowley is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. A transfer to Upper Iowa, Cowley was a two-year letter winner in baseball from 1999-2000 playing under coaches Rick Heller and Mark Danker.
Cowley, who received his bachelor’s degree in management information systems, had an outstanding career for the Peacocks on the mound. He was named a first team All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitcher in 1999 and repeated the honor in 2000. In 1999, he was also selected to the All-Central Region second team after being named UIU’s most valuable pitcher. The highlight of Cowley’s pitching career came in 1999 when he did not allow a single homerun during the season. He still holds the UIU team record for fewest walks per nine innings, 1.0, which he set in 2000. He ended his career with an overall record of 11-5 including a 7-2 mark in the IIAC. He completed his junior year with an ERA of 1.90 in the IIAC.
Cowley received his associate’s degree from Yuba Community College in Maryville, CA. A resident of Fayette since his UIU graduation, he has been employed at Upper Iowa since 2000 as an Enterprise System Specialist. Cowley was a member of the Fayette City Council for two terms and received the Upper Iowa Young Alumni Award in 2005.
Matt and his wife Billie, a 2003 Upper Iowa graduate, are the parents of three children; Justine, Jayla, and Maxwell.
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JARRAD JONES (CLASS OF 2011)
Jarrad Jones is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. A transfer from Golden West Community College in California, Jones had a stellar baseball career for the Peacocks in 1999 and 2000 playing for coaches Rick Heller and Mark Danker.
The team placed third in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 1999 and 2000. Jones, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, was named to the All-Central Region first team as an outfielder following both his junior and senior seasons. He was also tabbed as an All-IIAC first team outfielder for the Peacocks in 1999 and 2000. Jones was named the team’s most valuable offensive player in 2000 and holds career records in home runs with 20, career hit batsmen with 37 and slugging percentage in a season, .857. He recorded the third best batting average, .436, in the last 25 years during the 2000 season.
A graduate of Las Alomita High School, he was named to the Sunset All-Conference Team in 1996. At Golden West, he was named the Las Alomita Rustlers Athlete of the Year and was named an All-Orange Empire performer in 1999.
Jones has been employed by the Mitsubishi Corporation for the last eleven years in the Elevator Division as a Zone Manager. He currently lives in Huntington Beach, California with his wife Sara and four children, Lola, Luke, Caleb, and Gianna.
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MARTY MCKOWEN (CLASS OF 1983)
Marty McKowen, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and education, is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as a coach.
McKowen is entering his 30th year of coaching and teaching at Wapsie Valley High School. He has enjoyed a dominant basketball coaching career posting an overall record of 495 wins and 178 losses. McKowen’s boys’ basketball teams have made a remarkable six Iowa High School State Basketball Tournament appearances, highlighted by the second place finish of the 2003 team; the Warriors have also claimed two other third place finishes. McKowen’s teams have won nine conference titles and placed second eleven times.
McKowen had also been the coach of the girls’ track team at Wapsie Valley for 19 years collecting many individual State Champions along with numerous honors at the Drake Relays. He also coached baseball and volleyball for the Warriors at times over his 30 years. The former Peacock also served the school system as Athletic Director for 12 years. He was a four-year letter winner with the Peacock baseball team as a centerfielder and first baseman under Coach Bill Prochaska and also lettered three times in football.
McKowen has been honored by the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Basketball Coaches Association as his career progressed to 300 and then 400 victories. Eight of McKowen’s former high school basketball players have gone on to coach basketball at the collegiate level. A graduate of Washington High School in Washington, Iowa, McKowen excelled in four sports at the interscholastic level.
He lives in Fairbank, Iowa with his wife Martha, who is also a 1983 Upper Iowa alum. They have three children, who are all presently coaching, Jon, a 2002 UIU graduate, Brooks, and Brittany.
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SIGMUND SANDERS (CLASS OF 1996)
Sigmund Sanders, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. A three-year basketball letter winner for the Peacocks, he played under coaches Bill Prochaska and Stu Engen.
Sanders had an outstanding career on the hardwood. He was named to the All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first team in both 1992-93 and 1993-94. Sanders was selected as the most valuable player in the IIAC for the 1993-94 season after averaging 14.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game and leading Upper Iowa to a share of the IIAC championship. Completing his career ranked with 1,175 points and 472 rebounds, Sanders is still ranked in the top twenty in both categories.
A Carrollton, Texas native, he had an outstanding high school athletic career as well. He earned All-District 12-5A honors as a junior and a senior playing for the R.L. Turner Lions.
Sanders became a police officer in Dallas, Texas in 2000 and was promoted to senior corporal officer in 2006. He is an instructor at the police academy in reality basic training involving real life survival scenarios. He currently resides in McKinney, Texas where he also volunteers as an AAU basketball coach. |
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CLIFF THOMPSON (CLASS OF 2002)
Cliff Thompson, who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and wellness, is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete.
Thompson was a four-year letter winner for the Peacock wrestling squad from 1999-2002 and wrestled under coaches Mike McCready and Heath Grimm. A three-time NCAA Division III All-American 197 pounds, he was the national runner-up in 2002 following a fourth place finish in 2001 and a sixth place finish in 2000. He was instrumental in leading the Peacocks to a second place finish at the NCAA Division III National Championships in 2002, the highest national finish by an Upper Iowa program.
Thompson was a four-time place winner in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament including a second place finish as a junior and senior; he placed third in 2000 and fourth in 1999. Thompson ended his Peacock wrestling career with a record of 136-37, which marks the record for wins in a career at Upper Iowa.
A graduate of Randleman High School in Randleman, North Carolina, he had an outstanding interscholastic wrestling and football career. He made three appearances in the state tournament highlighted by his junior season when he claimed the state title with a 34-0 record. He placed second as a senior and third as a sophomore and also earned all-conference honors as a defensive lineman in football.
Thompson is currently in his third year as the head wrestling coach at Paige High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. He also works as a special education teacher at Paige. He is competing in amateur martial arts and has earned the Elite Champion Belt at 205 pound in the state of North Carolina. He plans on starting a pro career in 2013. Thompson currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina. |
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WADE WHITCHER (CLASS OF 2002)
Wade Whitcher graduated with a bachelor’s degree in management and minor in marketing. He is being inducted into the Upper Iowa University Athletics Hall of Fame as an athlete. A four-year letter winner in baseball from 1999-2002, he had an outstanding baseball career for the Peacocks playing under coach Rick Heller and Mark Danker.
Whitcher was named to the first team All-Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference as a pitcher following the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He was also selected to the All-Central Region second team in 2001. The West Union, Iowa native holds the UIU record for most wins in a career with 23 and was named the team’s most valuable pitcher in 2001 and 2002. Upper Iowa shared the IIAC Championships in 2002. In conference play, Whitcher was 15-3 with a 2.34 ERA. Overall, he was 23-11 with 164 career strikeouts.
Whitcher became an admission’s counselor following his graduation and last year marked ten years with the university. He was extremely involved in all Peacock Collegiate programs as a football and baseball public address announcer and worked the scorer’s table for Peacock basketball.
A graduate of North Fayette High School, he had an impressive high school career for the Hawks. He was named to an all-state team four times, an all-district team five times and an all-conference team six times in football and baseball. He still holds eight football passing records and seven baseball records including all six pitching records at North Fayette.
Whitcher resides in Fayette. His father, Wendell, is a 1976 graduate and former All-Conference football player and his mother, Marsha, is a retired elementary teacher and a 1972 UIU graduate. |
