Brautigam takes over at Cornell

You've got to say this much. Vince Brautigam loves football challenges.

When he took over the University of Dubuque's program in 2001, it was the Iowa Conference's worst, by far. He had just 21 players on board.

Now he's taking over the IIAC's worst program again. The 45-year-old was named Monday as head coach at Cornell College, replacing Matt Dillon, who resigned last month after four seasons and a 6-34 record at his alma mater.

“The only difference (between the jobs) is that Cornell has a very good nucleus coming back,” Brautigam said.

Brautigam was at Dubuque for eight years, guiding the Spartans to their first winning season in 19 years in 2006 (6-4). Dubuque went 7-3 the following year, its first back-to-back winning seasons in three decades.

But the Spartans slipped to 2-8 in 2008, and Brautigam was let go. He sat out the 2009 season but is raring to get back at it, even if it's at a school that has enjoyed very little success since joining the Iowa Conference in 1998.

In fact, Cornell is talking about forming a new conference, which Brautigam said he understands and would support. Cornell ended a 19-game overall losing streak and 34-game IIAC losing streak this past season.

The Rams graduate just five players from that 2-8 team.

“I am excited to bring Vince's energy, expertise and work ethic to our football program,” Cornell Athletics Director John Cochrane said. “I believe he is exactly the right person to lead us forward.”

“What attracted me to this job was John Cochrane,” Brautigam said. “I respect John and think he's a very strong leader. That's something that I was looking for with my next job.”

Brautigam also has been a head coach at NAIA Mount Senario and an assistant at NCAA Division II St. Cloud State. He said he will retain the entire assistant coaching staff, including offensive coordinator Don Dicus and defensive coordinator Adam Eichhorn, who just completed their first seasons at the school.