Justin Iske enters his third season as a member of the SWOSU Football coaching staff, where he will again serve as the Bulldogs offensive line coach in 2017.
In two seasons with the Bulldogs, Iske has helped to drastically improve SWOSU’s offensive production, including the top two single-season rushing touchdown totals of the NCAA Division II era. Additionally, Iske has tutored three offensive linemen who earned All-Great American Conference honors along with two CoSIDA Academic All-District selections.
SWOSU set a new single-season school record by averaging 4.57 yards per rush in 2016 behind Karltrell Henderson, a Second Team All-GAC selection after rushing for 881 yards and a single-season school record 17 touchdowns. The Bulldogs offensive line was anchored by All-GAC honorees Garrett Luke (Second Team) and Kevin Blessing (Honorable Mention) while Brandon Roe earned CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.
Iske’s first season with the Bulldogs was a breakthrough for the program as SWOSU finished second place in the Great American Conference and earned a berth in the 2015 Live United Texarkana Bowl – the program’s first postseason game since joining NCAA Division II.
A 20-year veteran of the coaching profession, Iske came to Weatherford after coaching the offensive line at Fort Hays State for the four seasons. While at FHSU, Iske helped the Tigers increase their win total in all four seasons while mentoring eight All-MIAA selections and one All-Super Region 3 honoree. During Iske’s tenure in Hays, the FHSU offensive line helped produce an average of better than 2,000 yards rushing and 2,000 passing per season.
Iske is no stranger to the state of Oklahoma after spending two seasons at Northwestern Oklahoma State as the offensive coordinator, special teams coordinator and offensive line coach. The Rangers won a CSFL Championship and advanced to the NAIA Playoffs in 2010, his final season in Alva, and had an overall record of 15-6 during his two seasons. Iske helped five offensive linemen – including former SWOSU graduate assistant Adam Aguirre - to All-CSFL honors in two seasons.
Iske spent the 2008 season at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College where he served as the special teams coordinator while coaching the tight ends and offensive line. The Greyhounds finished 9-2 that season and ranked No. 6 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) following a victory in the Heart of Texas Bowl.
Before coming to Fort Scott, Iske spent two seasons as the offensive line and tight ends coach at Southwest Minnesota State while also serving as the Mustangs recruiting coordinator. He coached five all-conference offensive lineman and an all-region tight end during his stint with SMSU.
Iske also spent three seasons at another Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) school, Northern State in Aberdeen, S.D., as an assistant under coach Ken Heupel from 2003-05. While at NSU, Iske helped the Wolves set more than a dozen school records while leading the nation in total offense in 2003 and appearing in the 2004 Mineral Water Bowl.
He spent the 2002 season at Midland Lutheran College – an NAIA school in Nebraska – as the offensive line and tight ends coach, helping four players to all-conference recognition while producing the first 1,000-yard rusher at the school in more than 20 years.
From 1996-2001, Iske got his coaching career started at Nebraska-Omaha. He played for the Mavericks for two seasons before a knee injury in the spring of 1996 ended his playing career. He then spent the 1996-98 seasons as a student assistant for UNO before joining the staff as a graduate assistant from 1999-2001. As a graduate assistant, Iske worked with the tight ends and offensive line while also serving as the Mavericks video coordinator.
A native of Omaha, Iske graduated from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1999 with a Bachelor of General Studies with an emphasis on Mathematics. He later received a Master’s Degree in Public administration with emphasis in Public Management from UNO in 2001. Iske and his wife, Kelley, have one son, Hunter.
THE ISKE FILE
Coaching Career
2015 – Present: Southwestern Oklahoma State (Offensive Line)
2011-14: Fort Hays State (Offensive Line)
2009-10: Northwestern Oklahoma State (Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line/Special Teams)
2008: Fort Scott CC (Offensive Line/Tight Ends/Special Teams)
2006-07: Southwest Minnesota State (Offensive Line/Tight Ends)
2003-05: Northern State (Assistant Coach)
2002: Midland Lutheran College (Offensive Line/Tight Ends)
1996-01: Nebraska-Omaha (Student & Graduate Assistant)
Education
University of Nebraska-Omaha
Bachelors, Mathematics, 1999
Masters, Public Administration, 2001
