I just Googled - Roger Jansen - football, here's one of the over 300,000 links that came up. This one is from the Sioux City Journal, dated March 12, 2015 -
If anyone deserves the moniker of Bishop Heelan’s Mr. Football, it’s Roger Jansen.
He graduated from Heelan in 1981 and played tackle on a 1980 Crusader team that finished 7-3.
While attending Morningside College, he began serving as a volunteer assistant at Heelan. Jansen took over as interim head coach in 1997, replacing Joe Malsam, who took an administrative post at the school.
Malsam returned for two seasons before Jansen became head coach in 2000. In 16 seasons, he compiled a 157-31 overall record, rising to the top of the all-time metro coaching wins list.
He guided the Crusaders to Iowa Class 3A state championships in 2008 and 2013 and his teams were also runners-up in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2014.
In somewhat of a shocking development, the 51-year-old Jansen announced on Thursday that he is stepping down to accept a position as defensive line coach at Morningside College.
“I’ve always preached to the kids that you have dreams and you have goals,” Jansen said. “It’s not too often you have a chance to turn a dream into a reality. You have to practice what you preach.
“I have no regrets. I’m walking away on my own terms and there’s a lot of times in this profession that doesn’t get to happen. Heelan is going to be perfectly fine without me. It’s one of those deals I couldn’t pass up because you never know if that opportunity would come up again.”
Jansen will join a highly successful Morningside College program that has advanced to at least the semifinals of the NAIA Championship Series each of the last three seasons, including the 2012 national championship game.
The Mustangs have won four consecutive Great Plains Athletic Conference championships and have a 112-23 record (.830 winning percentage) since the start of the 2004 season.
“We’re excited about having Roger and what he can bring to our football program,” Morningside Coach Steve Ryan said. “He’s a very successful, quality football coach.”
Jansen said a move to the college ranks is something he’s been thinking about.
“There’s only a couple things that would have taken me away from Heelan and obviously this was one,” said Jansen, a 1985 Morningside graduate. “A lot of people are probably scratching their heads over this, but I’ve always had respect for Steve and his program.
“I had to talk it over with some people to make sure it was all right with them, but I just thought it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I’m ready to move on and start a new chapter.”
Ryan had a couple of openings on his staff and offered Jansen a job on Wednesday morning. He informed Heelan of the offer and wound up accepting by the end of the day.
“When you think of Heelan High School you think of Roger Jansen,” Heelan activities director Jason Pratt said. “He coached when I was playing and now I see it from the other side being in charge of all the coaches. He’s going to be sorely missed. I’m disappointed from Heelan’s standpoint but I’m excited for him. He’s a great coach and a better person.”
Pratt said the job opening has already been posted. With the presence of social media, he was already receiving calls early Thursday morning.
“We’re going to wait and find a quality person to take over, whether it’s somebody already in the system or outside,” Pratt said. “I don’t have a timetable. We just want to do it right and get the person to lead this program for hopefully another 30-plus years just like he did.”
Jansen’s 2008 and 2013 squads each finished with 14-0 records. He was The Journal's 2002 Siouxland Football Coach of the Year.
“I met with the players today during the last period of school and that was tough, but they understand,” Jansen said. “I just tried to hammer the point home to them that they’re going to be all right. It’s about the players and they’re going to find a very good person to keep it going.”
