Board of Directors
PRESIDENT
/ CEO
Darin Eklund
Darin is a Physician
Assistant for Webster City Medical Clinic who has a passion for sports including
his favorites, football and baseball. Darin was an athletic trainer for
multiple sports at the University of Alaska and at Oregon State including
football. He also was a trainer for the Alaska Goldpanners baseball team
for several years which is a summer collegiate baseball squad that is designed
to provide minor league competition for NCAA players that wish to continue on
into professional baseball.
Mr. Eklund has served on several other boards as related
to his profession which makes him the most experienced person on the Rampage's
Board of Directors when
it comes to business matters. His involvement in the Goldpanners baseball
squad also helps add experience when dealing with minor league sport matters. Mr. Eklund is the
self-proclaimed "Devil's Advocate" of the group and such that,
provides the Board with making the best decisions collectively. Eklund's role as the General Manager has drastically improved the Rampage in many areas and as the only non-player on the Board of Directors, offers a different perspective then his playing counterparts.
Darin also serves as the Rampage's Team Physician both at home and on the road.
He and his wife, Ayn, have
two sons: Ty and Tavis. |
VICE
PRESIDENT / GM Brian Miller
Brian, one of the few original member of the
former Iowa Bruisers in 2006, is one of the main people not just responsible for
bringing Minor League football to his hometown of Webster City, but also for
recruiting many of its veteran and new players.
A defensive tackle and noseguard, Miller was a 2nd Team All-American in 2008
and '10
by Minor League Football News and a 3rd Team pick in
2009 by the Coaches Poll. As well, he played in the 2007 NAFL
All-Star game and also was a 2009 WFL All-Star.
For the Rampage in 2010, Miller led the entire defense in quarterback sacks when he recorded a career-high 6 sacks for a total of -42 yards. He also tallied 41 tackles which ranked sixth for the unit and earned 1st Team All-WFL honors.
By day, Brian works for Woodman Controls
and is a very active father and family man as both he and his wife, Stacey, have
two sons: Rocco and Broden. |
BOARD
MEMBER John W. Elkin
A native of Bettendorf (IA), John not
only served as the Rampage President & CEO from the team's inception in
2009 through to full seasons in 2011, but also played middle linebacker where he served as a co-captain
in 2010 and '11. By day, Elkin is the Principal of Webster City High School
and combined his knowledge, organizational and recruiting skills, and passion for football
to help build the Rampage into what he calls ",,,one of the best Minor League football
team in Iowa."
John played football at Drake University where
he was a 3-year starter and 4-year letterman at linebacker. This past
season for the Rampage--who were members of the new league called the Midwest
Football Alliance--Elkin led
the both the MFA and Rampage with 94 tackles while also earning 1st Team All-MFA
honors. Elkin also intercepted two passes for touchdowns including a
75-yard jaunt versus the Quad City Stallions (May 21) and in the very next
game, a 27-yard score versus the Bridge City Knights (June 4).
In 2010,
Elkin led the Rampage and the World Football League with 97 tackles while also
being named 1st Team All-MFA and a Minor League Football News
All-American. 2009 as a member of
the Iowa Eagles, Elkin was not only the 2009 WFL "Co-Defensive Player of the Year," but
also 1/3 finalists for the national "Linebacker" and "Defensive Player of the
Year" awards presented by Minor League Football News & Hall of Fame.
For the 2009 season, Elkin after racked up 109 tackles while helping the Eagles qualify for the WFL
playoffs. John also was named a 1st Team All-American in 2009 while also
being selected as a WFL All-Star.
Career-wise, in the past five seasons, Elkin was not only a 5-time team
MVP as voted by his peers, but he also racked up 450 tackles while starting
50-consecutive games--quite a feat for a player who was 40 years old during the
2011 season.
John and his wife, Jamie, have a son named Rowan and are
expecting this second child in April of 2012. |
BOARD
MEMBER Andy Sowle
Andy, who played at Ellsworth Community College, has been involved in Minor League
football since 2006 when he started playing for the former Iowa Brusiers (who
later became the Manson, then Iowa, Eagles).
Andy became a major force on the Eagles' defense from 2007-09 where he was a two-time All-American in 2007 as a 2nd Team selection by Minor League Football News
and 2008 was a 3rd Team pick by the Coaches Poll. Andy was also a NAFL All-Star in 2006 and 2007 and although his 2009 season was cut short due to injury,
he was still named a WFL All-Star and finished (tied for) third on the defense in tackles with 46 stops
in just 4 games.
In 2010, Andy was not only elected as a co-captain by his teammates, but ranked
second on the defense in tackles where he collected 68 tackles from his free
safety position; Sowle also intercepted 2 passes while ranking second on the
defense with 6 deflected passes and for his efforts was named 1st Team All-WFL
in 2010. Sowle's desire to have a quality Minor League football team in Webster City led
him to be one of the ringleader's in helping create and maintain the Rampage.
Andy
is a firefighter for
the City of Webster City. |
BOARD
MEMBER Chris McNiel
A
native of Webster City, Chris first began playing Minor League football in 2007
for the Manson Eagles and from 2007-09, caught a total of 102 passes for 1,577 yards
and 14 touchdowns; McNiel virtually owns every Eagles receiving record possible
for that franchise.
A NAFL
All-Star in 2007 and and WFL All-Star in 2009, McNiel was a 1st Team All-American
by the Coaches Poll in 2009 while being an Honorable Mention pick
by Minor League Football News. Chris s another core member of the
Rampage's Board of Directors who is responsible for helping bring
Minor League football to Webster City.
In the first game of the 2010 campaign, Chris suffered a terrible season-ending
injury on the team's second offensive possession when his
knee was hurt returning a kickoff; it's not an understatement to say that his loss greatly affected the Rampage's output--not just for the game, but for the entire season. However, after undergoing surgery last September, McNiel is
fully recovered after intensely rehabbing his knee and look for him to make a statement in 2011. |
BOARD
MEMBER Jay Smith
Jay Smith is one of two new members
to the Rampage Board of Directors and enters his fifth season of playing Minor
League Football since 2008. Like his fellow Rampage members, Jay was a
former member of the Iowa Eagles and was an Honorable Mention All-American by
Minor League Football News in
2008 for them before helping bring football pride back to Webster City with the
inception and rise of the Midwest Rampage.
In 2010, Jay began the season as a defensive end but due to several key
injuries, switched positions and became an integral part of the offensive line
which carried over into the 2011 season. After an intense off-season
training program with fellow Rampage player John Elkin, Jay became an anchor on
the offensive line where he helped make the Rampage offense extraordinary in '11
as the team reached the inaugural MFA championship. For his efforts, Jay
earned 1st Team All-MFA honors and was also voted by his teammates as the "Most
Improved Offensive Player" of the 2011 season.
As a defensive end for the Rampage
in 2010 and for the Eagles in 2008-09, Smith racked up 43 total tackles plus 8
quarterback sacks along with 4 fumble recoveries. An All-American in 2008,
Jay also was named to the NAFL All-Star game that same season.
|
|
BOARD
MEMBER
Cory Simpson
Cory Simpson has been involved with
Minor League football as long as all the other Rampage Board of Director members
dating back to the days of the Manson (and then Iowa) Eagles. A serviceman
who has thrice served overseas, Cory has has two shortened seasons with the
Rampage--the first in '10 when he returned from Afghanistan the day before the
last game of the season and then in the middle of the '11 campaign; in both
cases, his impact on the defensive line and on the sideline was made
immediately.
Simpson is a scrappy player who always makes plays. A
former prep for the (high school) Manson Eagles before they consolidated into
the Manson-Northwest Webster Cougars, Cory was an All-District defensive end in
'1992 and '93 as well as an Honorable Mention All-Stater in '93; as a senior,
Simpson collected 21 tackles in a 15-14 loss against Southern Cal which ahs to
be some sort of record for a defensive end.
Cory brings an invaluable sense of loyalty and thought to the Rampage as a new member of the Board of Directors and his passion for football is well-known.
Cory and his new bride, Kate, are expecting their first child this year. |