SPOTLIGHT ON …

Special Teams

Rick Lebeda ’07 has been playing soccer since age 4. It wasn’t until his junior year of high school, when the football team needed a kicker, that Lebeda decided to lend his soccer leg to kicking footballs. And as the humble Lebeda puts it, he just “happened” to be good.
In Rick’s first year at Dana, he broke five school records and set the GPAC record for the longest field goal — 57 yards. The NFL record is 63 yards.

Those who know Rick best, know his success is not just by chance. Dana’s Head Football Coach Bill Danenhauer said, “Lebeda is one of the top athletes on our team.”

Receivers/Kickers Coach Pat Morris agreed.

“Rick is very competitive and confident,” he said. “He has an incredible desire to be the best — to win. His teammates are drawn to that.”

“I love it here,” Lebeda said. “I came here because Dana recruited me hard, and I liked Coach Danenhauer. This is the best place for me.”
Lebeda hopes to continue kicking after college or become a firefighter.

Offense

After high school, Tom Lensch ’07 was recruited by several colleges to play baseball. But Lensch decided he wanted to play football for Danenhauer at Dana.

Dana’s “River City” offense relies on Lensch’s passing abailities. A sophomore from David City, Neb., Lensch started eight games for the Vikings in 2003 and passed for 1,016 yards.

In 2004, Lensch has reached even higher. Passing for 2,861 yards in nine games and breaking the collegiate (NAIA and NCAA) record for most pass attempts in a single game with his 101 tosses against Hastings College on Oct. 30.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve coached a quarterback who has such a good understanding of the game and basic defense strategies. Tommy is continually improving. He has a real desire to learn and get better,” Danenhauer said.

Defense

T.J. Weiss ’05 has been a constant on the Viking defense for four seasons. A co-captain this year, Weiss was unanimously selected as captain by his teammates. 

With an average of 10 tackles per game, Weiss was one of the Top 25 best tacklers in the NAIA this season. Halfway through the season, Weiss led the Viking defense and was eighth in the individual GPAC statistics with 45 tackles. In 2003, Weiss received Honorable Mention All-Conference as well as Academic All-American honors. 

“I’m glad I stuck it out all four years,” Weiss said.

“T.J. is key to the Viking defense,” said Defensive Coordinator Allen Friesen.“Players like T.J. are hard to come by and hard to replace.”