Head Marty Hart enters his first season of leading the Black & Orange after serving as the Rampage's Defensive Coordinator during the championship-run in 2011.  While Hart may be entering his first season as the new head coach of the Midwest Rampage, he is no stranger in the captain's seat as he was the former head coach and defensive coordinator of the Iowa Eagles, a team formerly based out of Manson, IA, from 2006-2010.

As the Eagles' head coach, Hart coached many of the [current] Rampage players in 2009 when the squad went 5-4 and were only 1/8 teams to qualify for the WFL playoffs.  Under his guidance, Hart coached 13 All-Americans from 2007-09 including 1st Team selections Joe Gilbert (OT), Jake Thoma (RB), John Elkin (MLB), and Chris McNiel (WR).  As well, from 2006-09, Hart had 10 players such as Andy Sowle (DB), Brian Miller (DT), Clint Foth (TE), and Jay Smith (DE) selected to either the NAFL or WFL All-Star games.  Hart's attacking 4-3 defense also led to Elkin being named the 2009 WFL "Co-Defensive Player of the Year" as well as a national finalist for two different awards by Minor League Football News.

As the Rampage's Defensive Coordinator in 2011, Hart oversaw the best defense in the Midwest Football Alliance (MFA) which limited 8 of its 11 total opponents to 7 or less points while also recording 3 shutouts including a 2011 season-opening 39-0 victory against the Capital City Crush, a 52-0 drubbing of the Bridge City Knights, and a 40-0 victory over the Iowa Sharks in the MFA Semifinals.

 Coach Hart has a wealth of coaching experience at many different levels including a stint for the Lincoln Lightning (Lincoln, NE), a professional indoor football team, as well as stops at Iowa Central Community College (Ft. Dodge, IA) and Ellsworth Community College (Iowa Falls, IA).  Hart has also coached for several high school including Hubbard-Radcliff, Prairie Valley of Gowrie, and Manson Northwest Webster.  Finally, Coach Hart has been the Head Coach of the Manson Sharks, a youth team in Manson, for the past 8 years.  Over the past two years, the Sharks have gone undefeated with a record of 11-0-1 as they have had back-to-back undefeated seasons for the first time ever.

A graduate of Manson Sr. High in Manson, Coach Hart was a 2-year letter winner in football for the Eagles while earning 1st Team All-Twin Lakes Conference and All-Northwest Iowa while also being named Honorable Mention All-State as a defensive lineman. Marty then attended and played 1 season at Tarkio College (MO).

Coach Hart is married to the former Deborah Jepsen and they have 2 children:  Amanda and Dillon.

BEN WOLFORD

Even though Ben Wolford may be entering his first season as either an offensive coordinator or coach, the former Rampage quarterback is no stranger to the game of football.  The son of successful coach, Wolford and his fiery attitude will bring a different style offensive football then fans of Rampage football have seen since the team's inception.

Wolford plans on installing an offense very similar to what Drake University ran when he starred there and has a heavy emphasis on ball control. "With our defense playing the way it does, the goal of our offense is to have sustained drives while controlling both the line of scrimmage and game clock. While I'm a former quarterback who loves to throw the ball, I also know that a balanced attack with limited mistakes is the best way to get a team win."

In 2011, Wolford was a part-time starter for the Rampage as he was 57/106 for 740 yards, 7 TDs, and 3 INTs.  Wolford helped the Rampage win critical games when he was on the field, especially late in contests:  his  26-yard touchdown toss to Kevin Kannuan sealed a Rampage 27-6 victory against the Sioux Falls Stallions and his 50-yard strike against the Dubuque Bruisers helped the Rampage not only win 28-20, but also lock up the #2-seed in the MFA playoffs.

Collegiately, Wolford was a 2-year starter and 3-year letterwinner for Drake University (where he was also teammates of Rampage linebacker John Elkin) from 1993.  As a senior, Ben passed for 2,145 yards, 17 TDs, and 6 INTs while also rushing for 675 yards and 1 TD en route to the Bulldog's 8-3 record in which they were the Pioneer League Runner-up.  As a junior, Wolford passed for 725 yards as the team went 8-1-1 as Drake won its first-ever Pioneer League championship.

A stand-out prep at Parker High School in Arizona, Ben was a three-year starter at both quarterback and safety for the Broncos from 1990-92 who led them to consecutive conference championships in '91 and '92.  He was a three-time 1st Team All-State safety who also earned 2nd Team All-Conference honors as a quarterback.  While in '91 Ben passed for over 1,000 yards, he rushed for over 1,000 as a senior in '92 while also accumulating over 500 aerial yards.

BILLY TODD SMITH

Wide Receivers coach Billy Smith is a native of Webster City and former Lynx player whose play as a wide receiver is still part of Purple & Gold lore.  His love for the game of football is very evident as he as been coaching the 5th and 6th grade programs in Webster City for several years as well as becoming part of the Rampage in their inaugural 2010 season.

Coach Smith enters his second season as a Wide Receivers coach and Game Management Director for the Rampage.  Last season, Coach Smith assisted Coach Hansen in many different areas as the two, along with Volunteer Assistant Tim Anderson, managed a team consisting of 48 players... a task that was often overwhelming on game day.  However, with the addition of several new coaches, Smith will be able to focus more on his positional and operational duties.

As a junior in 1982, Smith helped his team become the very first Webster City squad to ever qualify for the Class 3A playoffs after going 9-0 during the regular season.  Although Webster City lost to Harlan in the 1st Round, Bill earned 1st Team All-Conference honors after hauling in 22 receptions for 442 yards and 9 touchdowns.

The next season, he helped the 1983 squad set a new record for most wins in a season when the Lynx stormed to a 10-0 record before again losing to Harlan, this time in the Semifinals. Coach Smith earned 1st Team All-State honors after leading the entire state (Class A-4A) in receiving with 48 receptions for 1,047 yards and 13 touchdowns.  Twenty-seven years after his last season, Billy still owns the Lynx record for most receiving yards in a season (955) and career (1,397).

After graduating from WCHS in 1984, Billy played football at Iowa Central Community College for one season.  Professionally, Billy has been in sales the past 18 years and he currently works for Access Printing.

Coach Smith is the uncle of Rampage offensive lineman Jay Smith who has been playing Minor League football since 2008.

Billy and his wife, Lisa, have four children:  Cody, Courtni, Sierra, and Jacob.

Chris Wood, a Manson native, is also new to the Rampage this season but like Marty Hart, is very familiar with both coaching special teams as well as a large chunk of the Rampage's roster including return specialist Chris McNiel.  Wood was the Special Teams Coordinator for the Iowa Eagles from 2006-10 and also served as the team's Game Management Director.  He has been associated with football for a number of years and along with his long-time friend Marty Hart, are both much welcomed and needed in Rampage Country.

In 2009, Wood's special teams were a main reason the Eagles qualified for the WFL playoffs as his squad--specifically punt returns--helped the Eagles win several close games including a 21-18 overtime win over the Quad City Stallions in which McNiel returned a punt for a touchdown.  As well, in a 16-14 come-from-behind victory over the River City Raiders, McNiel--with the aid of his blockers--returned several punts inside the Raiders' red zone which eventually led to the Eagles wining the battle of field position and eventually the game.  It is also notable to point out that during the '09 campaign, Woods' punt and kickoff teams didn't allow a single return for a score and no more than three returns for longer than 30 yards.  Against the Iowa Sharks who advanced to the WFL Semifinals that season, McNiel also returned a kickoff 85-yards for a touchdown.  As a result of his play and that of Coach Woods' scheme, McNiel was named a 2nd Team All-American kick returner by Minor League Football News in 2009.

Coach Wood played high school football at Manson Northwest Webster High School from 1989-92 and resides in his hometown of Manson with his four children:  Shelby, Keaton,  Emma, and Cameron.