John "Jersey" Jermier (2001) - Hall of Fame

John "Jersey" Jermier

Induction:
2001

John "Jersey" Jermier has proven to be a man of many qualities. Hailing from nearby Charles City, Jermier was a two-sport athlete in baseball and football at Coe College. He was an all-conference selection in 1957 and 1958, and All-NAIA, District 15 selection in 1958, was voted Vice President of his senior class, and graduated Cum Laude in 1958.

After graduation, he was named head football coach at Postville (Iowa) High School, where he won a conference championship in 1959. After his successes at the high school level, he went on to become an assistant football and basketball coach at Coe College for two years before moving on to Wayne State College (Neb.) in 1962, becoming head coach in both baseball and football. At Wayne State, he won two football championships in 1965 and 1966, along with four baseball conference titles in 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1967. After Wayne State, he became an assistant football coach at Colorado State University in 1969, coaching the defense one year.

He then was named an assistant at the University of Iowa, where he was in charge of the defense for a year before becoming an Assistant Director of Athletics in 1972, a position he held four years. After his stint in Iowa he moved south to Manhattan, Kan., where he served as Kansas State's Director of Athletics two years, then joined Topeka Inn Management, Inc., as Vice President-Director of Sales for two years.

Jermier finally found his way home in 1980 when he became UNI's Associate Director of Athletics, retiring in 1997. His honors include being inducted into Coe College's Hall of Fame in 1981, and into Wayne State's in 1990. He was named Coach of the Year several times in football and baseball, both at Postville High School and at Wayne State, and was named an Honorary UNI Panther Letterman.