Rick Coles is in his 26th year as an assistant coach for Ripon's football program, where he currently serves as the team’s offensive line coach. He is in his second season as the program's associate head coach. He served as the team's offensive coordinator for 16 years from 2004-2019. During that time, Ripon finished in the top third of the MWC in total offense nine times, top third in the conference in scoring offense nine times, and was in the top third in average yards per play nine times. In addition to that, Ripon finished in the top third in the MWC for time of possession during 15 of those 16 seasons.
No stranger to the football field, the 2024 season is Coles' 46th as a coach, and 40th at the collegiate level. Coles is an active member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and currently serves as the chair of the AFCA Division III Assistant Coaches Committee. In January, 2021, he was named a Life Member and 35-Year Club member of the AFCA. On March 29, 2014, Coles was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) Coaches Hall of Fame. Coles is also a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School.
Before coming to Ripon, Coles was the head coach of Midwest Conference rival Lawrence University from 1993-98, where his offense was consistently ranked among the nation’s best. Prior to that, he served as the offensive coordinator at Cornell (Iowa) College, where he helped them win the 1992 MWC Championship with a 10-0 record. Coles began his collegiate coaching career at Coe College, where he served as an assistant coach for five years. In his first season as a coach at Coe, Coles helped the team win the MWC Championship, culminating in an NCAA playoff appearance.
Coles earned his B.A. in History and Physical Education from Coe in 1979, where he was named First Team All-Conference as an offensive lineman. Coles then went on to earn his M.A. from the University of Northern Iowa in 1984.
In addition to his football coaching duties at Ripon, Coles also serves as a Professor in the Exercise Science department, the Pieper Family Chair for Servant Leadership at Ripon College, and was the Chair of the department for seven years. He is active in the community, serving as Past President of the Board of Directors of the Republican Party Birthplace Museum in Ripon, as well as a Mason and a Shriner, and is a member of Ripon Rotary Club. Also, he is currently on the Council of the Rosendale United Church of Christ. Coles and his wife Nancy have one son, Michael '04 and triplet daughters, Sara, Jennifer, and Katie. Michael and his wife Amy have two daughters, Amiah and Riann.
