Head Coach Kurt Barth

Eureka College athletics Hall of Famer Kurt Barth will enter his third season as the head coach of the Eureka football program in 2011.  Since being hired as the 12th head coach in program history in December 2008, Barth has rejuvenated the EC football program and installed one of the most prolific passing offenses in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and all of NCAA Division III.

Using an innovative spread attack, the Red Devils have averaged a UMAC-best 271 passing yards per game in Barth’s first 20 games as head coach.  Eureka has eclipsed the 300-yard mark through the air seven times under Barth’s watch, including a 505-yard performance against Crown on Nov. 7, 2009 that was the ninth-most passing yards in a single game by a Division III team in 2009.  Eureka’s pass offense ranked 16th nationally in Division III 2009 and cracked the top-50 again in 2010 at 45th nationally.  By comparison, the Red Devils recorded only three 300-yard passing games in 39 games between 2005 and 2008.

Barth wasted no time making a mark on the Eureka program in his first game as head coach two years ago, leading the Red Devils to their first victory over longtime non-conference rival Knox since 1991 with a 28-13 win on Sept. 5, 2009.  He directed the Red Devils to a total of 300 points in 10 games during the 2009 campaign, the fourth-highest total by a Eureka team in the 107-year history of the program.  Additionally, Eureka’s latest two-year record under Barth has resulted in the best 20-game period for any Eureka football head coach since Nick Fletcher in 1998 and 1999.

His debut season as head coach of the Red Devils in 2009 also produced a UMAC South Division Offensive Player of the Year award for graduated quarterback Nick Lindsey.  In Barth’s two seasons as head coach, Eureka has earned 14 postseason All-UMAC selections and 10 UMAC Player of the Week awards.

Barth is coaching for the third time on the Eureka staff and first time as head coach.  Shortly following his record-breaking playing career for the Red Devils, Barth served as an assistant coach in 1998, then returned for his second stint on the EC staff from 2003-04 as offensive coordinator.  He is a 1998 graduate of Eureka College with a B.S. in physical education and recently earned his master’s degree from the American College of Education in 2010.

Perhaps the most decorated student-athlete in Eureka football history, the Minonk, Ill. native was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American from 1995-97 and was inducted into the Eureka College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.  The Red Devils compiled a 26-14 record during Barth’s playing career, which included an NAIA playoff berth in 1994 and a 9-1 record in 1995.  He formed a lethal passing combination with quarterbacks Mike Simpson and fellow EC Hall of Famer John Furmaniak that still brings back vivid memories to many Eureka fans today.

On October 11, 1997 against Concordia (Ill.) at McKinzie Field, Barth set the NCAA Division III record in career receiving yards.  He finished with 4,311 yards, currently sixth in NCAA history.  He also recorded 256 career receptions and scored 51 touchdowns.  As a sophomore in 1995, he led the country in receiving yards per game at 133.7. The Red Devils lost just one game that season as Barth recorded 68 catches, 1,337 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Against Concordia (Wis.) on Sept. 28, 1996, Barth made 20 receptions, which is still tied for third-most in a game in NCAA history.  By the time he had completed his EC playing career, Barth ranked second in NCAA Division III for career touchdowns (51), career receiving yards per game (110.5) and touchdowns in a season (18).

He was the head coach at Eureka High School from 2005-08, leading the Hornets to a berth in the IHSA 4A state playoffs in 2007.  In all, Barth coached 48 all-conference players during his four-year stay at EHS, including a pair of all-state picks.  Eleven of Barth’s former EHS players have suited up for the Red Devils, including two-time All-UMAC wide receiver Wes Schmidgall.  Barth also coached at the high school level from 2000-2002 as the defensive and special teams coordinator at his alma mater, Fieldcrest High School. 

Following his first stint as an assistant coach on the Eureka staff, Barth enjoyed two seasons as a professional player.  He was an Indoor Football League Pro Bowl selection in the summer of 2000 for the Duluth-Superior Lumberjacks.  The following summer, Barth was named the most valuable player of the af2’s Peoria Pirates in 2001.

In addition to his football duties, Barth will begin his third season as the Eureka track & field head coach in the spring of 2012 and is the Reagan Center Manager.  He and his wife Becca have two children, Brayson (5) and Kamille (3), and reside in Washington.

Assistant Coach Joe DeLucia

Former NCAA Division III football student-athlete Joe DeLucia will join the Eureka football staff in 2011.  He will serve as a defensive assistant on the Red Devils’ staff.

DeLucia played three years of football as a quarterback and tight end for former Illini-Badger Football Conference member Concordia (Ill.) from 1997 until 1999.  He later joined the Cougars’ staff as a graduate assistant coach for the 2000 and 2001 seasons before ultimately serving as an assistant coach in 2002.

A native of Oak Park, Ill., DeLucia is a former member of the United States Marine Corps.  He and his wife Tracey have two children, Joey and Jackson. 

Assistant Coach Seeff Grauer

Seeff Grauer, a former standout player at Eureka, begins his third season with special teams and running backs in 2011.

A 2000 graduate of Eureka College, Grauer played for the Red Devils from 1996-99.  He was a two-time All-Illini-Badger Conference selection as a punter.  Grauer also contributed as a wide receiver and tight end.

Grauer teaches at an alternative school in Washburn.  He and his wife Stacy reside in Eureka and have two children, Awstace (7) and Ryker (4).

Assistant Coach Deric Linder

Eureka College graduate Deric Linder enters his second season on the Eureka coaching staff in 2011 and serve as the Red Devils’ defensive coordinator.

Linder came to Eureka after an assistant coaching stint at prep powerhouse Metamora from 2003 until 2009.  He was the defensive coordinator of the Redbirds’ 2009 4A state championship team and the secondary coach on the 2007 team that won the 5A title.  Linder remains the softball head coach at Metamora and guided the Redbirds to an IHSA 3A state title in 2010.

Linder and his wife Kim have three children, Kaylie (16) and six-year old twins, Reagan and Morgan.

Assistant Coach Pete Logan

Eureka College athletics Hall of Famer Pete Logan joins head coach Kurt Barth as previous members of the Eureka coaching staff to return for another stint with the Red Devils.  He will coach defensive backs in for the third season in 2011. 

A 1994 graduate of Eureka College, Logan was an All-Illini-Badger Conference choice as a defensive back.  Following his playing career, Logan joined the EC coaching staff for six seasons from 1994-99.  He was inducted into the Eureka College athletics Hall of Fame in September 2010.

Logan’s wife, Molly, was the Eureka College volleyball head coach from 1999 until 2006.  They reside in Eureka and have two children, Shelby (6) and Emma (3).

Assistant Coach Morgan Murphy

Morgan Murphy returns to Eureka College following a playing career in which he was a two-time All-Illini-Badger Conference selection on the offensive line for the Red Devils.  Murphy will take over as offensive coordinator in 2011.

A native of Lincoln, Ill., Murphy started for three seasons at center for Eureka from 2002-04.

Murphy graduated from Eureka in 2005 and holds a master’s degree in special education from the University of Phoenix.  He will also coach the Eureka golf team for the fourth season in 2012.

Assistant Coach Luke Whitaker

Former Eureka defensive end and 2010 EC graduate Luke Whitaker will enter his second season as an assistant coach in 2011.  He will coach the Eureka defensive line.

Whitaker concluded his four-year playing career at Eureka in 2009 with 84 tackles and four sacks.  He played as a defensive lineman during his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons and contributed on the offensive side of the ball as a junior in 2008.