By Dana Becker

becker_d@iccc.cc.ia.us

Andy Jepson knows exactly what it takes to put on an Iowa Central football uniform.

Following a standout career at Manson Northwest Webster, Jepson joined the Tritons in 1998 before moving on to Cal Poly as a quarterback. He would also compete in the Arena Football League and has since joined the staff at Grand View as an assistant coach.

But that's far from the only hat Jepson wears.

For the past 19 years, he has worked at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Des Moines where he currently serves in a senior vice president role. All while maintaining an active home life with his family. 

"I am forever proud to be a Triton, so it has been awesome to watch the college continue to grow and improve," Jepson said. "I pay close attention to all of the Iowa Central athletic teams and their success is always impressive. The level of commitment from Dr. (Dan) Kinney and (athletic director and former head football coach Kevin Twait down through an extremely talented set of coaches across all sports is remarkable.

"On the football side, we put a premium on our relationship with Iowa Central. We know the level of discipline and work ethic Tritons bring to the table, and we've been very fortunate to have a lot of great players make their way from Iowa Central to Grand View over the years."

"Iowa Central prepared me academically, physically and socially for the experiences in front of me at that time," Jepson said. "The ability to compete in every aspect of life, manage my time, be accountable, lead by example, etc. - those were traits I would like to think I had prior to Iowa Central, but I have zero doubt those two years were the first time I really had to flex those skills.

 

It became a family affair for Jepson with the Tritons, as his father,  Mike, was hired by Twait as his offensive coordinator after he took over the football program in the spring of 1996.

 

"It was June before I decided Iowa Central was the best place for me to start my college experience," he said. "My recollection of Iowa Central in the fall of 1996 was that excitement about the future seemed to be just starting to build. Campus was obviously very different than it is today, but many familiar people were in place and had great vision for what Iowa Central could become.

 

"Dr. (Bob) Paxton deserves a huge amount of credit for changing the perception and culture of Iowa Central, and Dr. Kinney has put that into overdrive the past decade or so. Academically it was a great fit for me as the classes were small and the ability to interact with professors was great.

 

"The general perception of community colleges/junior colleges at that time was that they may have been geared more for academic non-qualifiers, but that was not my experience at all. My courses at Iowa Central set me up very well to eventually earn my Bachelor's Degree.

 

"On the football side, we had a bunch of really good sophomores on defense but we were nearly all freshmen on offense in 1996. Coach Twait had a clear plan to be tougher and more disciplined than the teams we played and we hung in there that first year going 5-5. The next year we were older and added some great talent in that recruiting class and went 9-2, finished in the Top-10 nationally and the program was about to really take off from there."