Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1359565
15 W hen it comes to coaching trees, it doesn't get better than Hayden Fry's staff in 1983. Perhaps the most unsung member of that group — Del Miller — has an interesting branch sprouting from his coaching tree as well. e offshoot is Ken Brase, who played football for Miller at Plainfield (Iowa) High School in the 1970s, coached 25 years, and is now a truck driver who has time to attend as many University of Iowa football games as possible…400 miles from his home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. First, let's backtrack to olden times of the Big Marsh Conference that included a collection of small high schools in north central Iowa. Plainfield was the first coaching stop for Miller aer he graduated from Central College in 1972. Other schools were Allison, Aplington, Clarksville, Dumont, Janesville, New Hartford and Parkersburg. (Derek Pagel, who lettered for the Hawkeyes from 1999-2002, is from Plainfield). Brase played tight end, free safety and handled the kicking and punting duties for the Pirates. "Del would quickly tell you those were a couple tough years that he and I spent together," Brase said. "We won a few games to be happy, but we weren't kicking anybody's rear end around." Miller became a graduate assistant and assistant for Iowa from 1978-88 and made stops at Kansas State, Southwest Missouri State, Oklahoma State and San Diego State. Meanwhile, Brase taught and coached at Kanawha (now part of Britt-West Hancock), Lincoln Central (now combined with Estherville) and Iowa Lakes Community College. "My first connection to the University of Iowa was through Del Miller when he went to do his graduate work and then he got on as an assistant under Hayden," Brase said. "I was getting out of college at that stage of Del's career, so I got to start coming to clinics and practices, then I went into high school coaching." Brase earned college degrees from Cornerstone University and Calvin College, both located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Aer 20 years of coaching and teaching in Iowa, he moved to Michigan to teach physical education and coach at NorthPointe Christian. He retired from education