Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Duane Schulte to be inducted into IFCA Coaches Hall of Fame

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Duane Schulte is one of four men in the 2021 class of the Iowa Football Coaches Association’s Coaches Hall of Fame.

Schulte is joined by Tom Wilson of West Des Moines Dowling, Jerry Shafrath of Hampton-Dumont and Jim Dunne of Grinnell.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Schulte said. “When you look at the names that are in the Hall of Fame, it’s quite humbling to be in the same arena as these guys. Especially some of my mentors, especially Tom Kopatich. He set the tone for me personally.”

Schulte graduated from Cedar Rapids LaSalle, where he played for Kopatich. He also was an assistant for Kopatich at Davenport Assumption.

Schulte began his head football coaching career at LaSalle in 1994. He is the only head varsity football coach Xavier has had.

His teams have had seven undefeated regular seasons and been to the playoffs 18 times. That includes three state championships at Xavier in 2006, 2017 and 2018.

“This is just a tremendously humbling honor,” Schulte said.

Schulte is the only coach in state history to win state titles at both the Class 3A and 4A levels. His three sons (Reggie, Bryce and Quinn) all played quarterback for him at Xavier.

He said that was the highlight of his career. He also called his wife, Sherry, and daughter, Hope, a senior at Xavier “the rocks” of the family.

He also gave other specific mentions to all of his players and assistant coaches over the years, especially defensive coordinator Jim O’Connell, who has been with him his entire career.

Schulte said he takes things year by year but has no intentions of stopping coaching anytime soon.

“When you’re coaching, it’s a daily grind. The same as it is with teaching,” he said. “I tell people that it’s kind of like raising kids, in the sense that sometimes the days go slowly but the years go fast.”

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