Hall of Fame
The Coe College football program has a long legacy of great running backs, and Ryan Kolpin is surely high on that list. Coe's most valuable offensive player - as a sophomore, Ryan's football career really took off his junior year. Twenty years ago this past Tuesday, in a game against Lake Forest, Ryan became the first Kohawk to score five rushing touchdowns in one game. Three weeks later, he compiled five more touchdowns---four rushing and one receiving--in a record-setting performance against Monmouth that earned him Sports Illustrated small college player of the week honors. Ryan's 14 receptions that day remain the most in school history and he was the first Kohawk to top 200 receiving yards with 215. His single-game reception yardage total remains third on Coe's all-time list. Ryan finished his junior year with 13 rushing touchdowns and 51 receptions, one shy of the school record at the time, and was named to the all-Midwest Conference team. His school-record 17 total touchdowns lasted one year, until he scored 23 as a senior. His 196 carries as a senior set a new school record and he became Coe's second 1,000-yard rusher with 1,035 yards. He also led the team in receiving his senior year and was co-captain and MVP for the 8-2 Midwest Conference Champions. After leading the nation in scoring with a then-record 138 points, Ryan received honorable mention All-American honors. Ryan also played baseball his freshman year and was a four-year letterman in track, where he placed in various sprints, relays and field events. He and Bret Ranard, Tony Alt and Dan Feigenspan won the 4 x 200 medley relay for Coe's 1990 indoor conference championship team and that same foursome set a school record in the sprint medley relay which still stands today. Ryan's post-college career has been no less productive and prolific. After graduating from Creighton. University School of Law, he entered private practice in Cherokee, Iowa. Ryan met his wife, Lori, in law school and they were married in 1995. In 2000, they opened Kolpin Law Firm in his hometown, Aurelia, lowa. Ryan was appointed Cherokee County Magistrate Judge in 2001 and continued to serve in that position until 2007, when he was elected Cherokee County Attorney. Ryan spent 10 years after law school as a volunteer assistant coach for the Aurelia High School football program and has been a volunteer coach for various youth sports, including wrestling, football and baseball. Seeing a need through their work with the juvenile court system, Ryan and Lori became foster parents in 2005. They are currently raising eight children, five biological and three former foster children whom they have adopted. The children, who range in age from 12 years to six months, are continuing their father's athletic tradition by competing in gymnastics, volleyball, football, wrestling and baseball. Needless to say, the family keeps very busy with youth sporting events. For his outstanding contributions to Kohawk athletics--and the game of life--I am honored to present my brother, Ryan Kolpin, for induction into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.
