Jay Anderson, Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator & Quarterback Coach
andersoJ@bvu.edu
Head Coach Jay Anderson, is entering his third year as the head football coach at Buena Vista. Prior to taking over the reigns in 2006, he spent six seasons as the team’s offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. During his time as offensive coordinator at Buena Vista, Anderson coached nine all-conference offensive players. The athletes who have played under him have set 18 offensive school records.
Anderson has been at the University for the past 11 seasons. Before taking over as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator in 2000, he was a graduate assistant coach from 1997-1999 who worked with the defensive backs and wide receivers.
Prior to joining the Buena Vista staff, Anderson was an assistant coach at Simpson College during the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He was the coordinator of the passing game for the 1996 team that went 10-0 during the regular season.
A native of St. Charles, Iowa, Anderson is a graduate of Interstate 35 High School in Truro. He then graduated with a degree in elementary education from Drake University where he was a two-time letter winner on the football team. Anderson went on to earn a master's degree in educational administration at Buena Vista.
Anderson is a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and the Iowa Football Coaches Association. He and his wife, Chelle, live in Storm Lake with their daughter, Haley.
Larry Anderson, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator
anderso1@bvu.edu
Larry Anderson begins his 12th season as defensive coordinator and is the assistant head coach. He has coached 11 all-conference players on the defensive side of the football over the past five years alone. Anderson has coached a total of 27 all-conference defenders since coming to Buena Vista. He has had individuals ranked near the top in numerous categories in Division III statistics.
Anderson is a graduate of Yankton College in Yankton, S.D., where he was a four-year letter winner in baseball. Anderson was athletic director at I-35 High School and was an assistant football coach at Drake University for 10 seasons. At Drake, Anderson was the defensive line coach, and his squads were ranked in the top 10 in several categories in Division I-AA statistics.
Anderson is also a member of the AFCA. He and his wife, Ann, live in Storm Lake. They have two sons, Jeff, and Jay, who is the team’s head coach; and one daughter, Robyn.
Jeremy Kruse, Defensive Backs Coach and Co-Recruiting Coordinator
krusej@bvu.edu
Jeremy Kruse is entering his fifth season at Buena Vista and is in charge of the defensive backs. He also serves as co-recruiting coordinator.
Before joining the staff, Kruse spent two years as a graduate assistant at St. Cloud State University with the defensive backfield and was the football Co-Head Strength Coach. While at SCSU, the team won the North Central Conference title in 2002, posted a 16-6 record over two years, and set over 20 team and individual records.
A 2002 graduate of Wartburg College, Kruse lettered in football and was a part of a conference championship team. While at Wartburg, the team compiled a 36-5 record, advanced to the playoffs, and was rated third in the nation on defense. Kruse has a degree in fitness management with a minor in business from Wartburg as well as a master's degree in sports management from St. Cloud State.
Adam Bisenius, Offensive Line Coach and Co-Recruiting Coordinator
biseniusa@bvu.edu
Adam Bisenius begins his fourth season coaching the offensive line at Buena Vista, while also serving as the team's co-recruiting coordinator.
Bisenius graduated from BVU in 1999 where he was a four-year letterwinner in football. Bisenius was the defensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Galva-Holstein High School for six seasons before returning to his alma mater. He was named the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003.
Before joining the Beaver staff full-time in 2006, he taught middle school science at Galva-Holstein and was also the school's head boys basketball coach during his six-year tenure. He and his wife, Amy, reside in Holstein with their son Brody.
Dave Larson, Running Backs Coach
larson@bvu.edu
Dave Larson has been an assistant at Buena Vista since 1996 and has coached many of the league’s top receivers during that span. This season he will coach the Beaver running backs. Larson was head football coach at South O’Brien from 1988-96. He had a 54-18 record as head coach and was named Northwest Iowa Coach of the Year by NW Iowa Review newspaper for the years 1988, 1989, and 1992. Larson led the club to an undefeated regular season in 1992.
Larson is a 1975 graduate of Dana College in Blair, Neb. At Dana, he was an honor athlete, team captain, and MVP named to the All-Lutheran Team as a senior. He received his master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Morningside College and his master’s degree in administration from Buena Vista.
Larson is an elementary and middle school guidance counselor at the Storm Lake Middle School. He and his wife, Marjorie, have three children: daughter Jessica, and twin sons, Jon and Taylor, who both played football for four years at BVU before graduating last season.
Al Pierce, Outside Linebackers Coach
piercea@bvu.edu
Al Pierce begins his sixth season at Buena Vista as the squad’s linebacker coach. He's coached former BVU linebacker Michael Irvin, who earned All-America honors in 2004 and who was among the nation’s leaders in tackles each of Pierce’s first two seasons with BVU. He also had the opportunity to coach his son Cody, who graduated last year following a career in which he was a two-time all-conference selection, while leading the team in tackles each of those seasons.
Pierce had spent the previous six years as head coach at Spencer, after coaching 18 years at Laurens–Marathon/Northwest. Pierce has won 125 games as a high school coach, winning conference or district championships in classes 3A, 2A, and A, and winning the State Class A title in 1989 at Laurens-Marathon. He was selected Iowa Class A State Coach of the Year in 1990 and was an assistant coach in the 2002 Iowa Shrine game.
Pierce is a 1974 graduate of Buena Vista and is currently teaching high school physical education in Spencer. He and his wife, Carol, live in Spencer and have two sons, Clinton and Cody.
Bob Willadsen, Wide Receivers Coach
Bob Willadsen, wide receiver coach, returns to the sidelines for Buena Vista. He has had a hand in coaching receivers Josh Espinosa, Michael Sullivan, Jesse Schmidt, all of whom have their names plastered across the Buena Vista record book.
Willadsen made his mark as a student-athlete having played football and participated in track while at Buena Vista. In addition to being an all-conference running back, Willadsen was an Iowa Conference Champion in the 100-yard dash with a time of :10.3 (1949). Willadsen was inducted into the Buena Vista Athletics Hall of Fame in 1972.
Bob is married to Buena Vista's former head softball coach, Marge Willadsen. They have two grown children and reside in Storm Lake.
Nick Schumacher, Defensive Line Coach
Nick Schumacher is in his third year on the Buena Vista coaching staff and will coach the defensive line. A 2000 graduate of Buena Vista, Schumacher played three seasons for the Beavers.
Schumacher is in his fifth year as a science teacher at Schaller-Crestland High School in Early. He is also the head girls track coach. Prior to coming to Schaller-Crestland, he was an assistant football coach at Vinton-Shellsburg High School in Vinton.
Schumacher holds a masters degree in educational administration from Grand Canyon University. He and his wife Amy live in Early with their daughter Sophia.