By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
A familiar face is the new football coach at the Stevens Point Area Senior High.
Pete McAdams, who was an assistant for the Panthers in 1998 and is a social studies teacher at the school, was named the team's head coach Monday.
McAdams has 10 years of coaching experience at three different levels - high school, semi-pro and college. Last season he was the defensive coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, helping the Pointers to their second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. His defense was first in the conference in total points allowed per game (16), turnovers (42) and total pass defense efficiency.
He was SPASH's defensive secondary and special teams coach in 1998 under former head coach Jerry Fitzgerald, who retired after 26 years in January.
"I'm going to instill a work ethic from the coaching staff down through the players that we will work as hard as any program in the state of Wisconsin," McAdams said. "We'll be very hard working.
"My biggest expectation going into next year is to have every player who finishes the season come out of there saying, 'This is the best year of football I've ever had. It may not be a state championship or a conference championship, but there's a lot more to it than wins and losses. That's what I want to instill in these players," he said.
"I'm very fortunate to be working at what I feel is the best high school in Wisconsin. I think people are very supportive of football in this community. These are great kids with very good work ethics and good skills. That's what excites me most - that combination."
On his coaching staff, McAdams said, "for the most part it will be the people who have been working here."
McAdams also was an assistant track and field coach at SPASH from 1991-98, coaching sprinters and the field events. He has been the strength and conditioning coach at the school since 1996, instructing athletes from various sports.
"I think the biggest thing I learned (coaching football at SPASH) was the things I learned at the college level and the European league, I can teach a lot of those things here," McAdams said.
Before joining the Panthers' football program two seasons ago, he had a seven-year stint as an UW-SP football assistant. He was the defensive secondary coach from 1994-97 and was the receiver coach from 1992-93.
McAdams also spent time coaching overseas in a semi-pro league. He was the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for the C4 Lions of Kristianstad, Sweden of the European Football League (EFL) during the 1994 and '95 campaigns. The C4 Lions were the Scandinavia Cup Champions in 1995 and national runner-ups in 1994.
In 1992, McAdams was the defensive coordinator for the Uppsala 86ers of Uppsala, Sweden in the EFL. The 86ers were the Swedish National Champions.
McAdams also played college football at UW-SP and was named to the All-WIAC team in 1991 as a defensive back. At the semi-pro level, he led the league with 11 interceptions as the starting free safety for the Uppsala 86ers.