Dennis Raetz

Dennis Raetz (May 20, 1946) was an American football player; coach and scout of football. He was the defensive coordinator for the Indiana State Sycamores in 1978 and 1979. He also served as a scout for the Edmonton Eskimos from 2003 to 200] when the franchise won its last two Grey Cup Championships. He is the leader at Indiana State in tenure (18 seasons), wins (94) and playoff appearances (2).

At Indiana State, Raetz coached the Sycamores in 200 games, finishing with a record of 94-105-1. He coached 8 First Team All-Americans; 65 All-Missouri Valley/Missouri Valley Football players, 6 Collegiate All-Star players, 8 Conference Players of the Year and sent 14 players to the professional ranks; most notably:

But his coaching staffs delivered, too. Among the assistant coaches who worked for Raetz and went on to NFL head coach, assistant coach or player personnel positions were Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints), Dave McGinnis (Arizona Cardinals), (Tennessee Titans), Pete Hoener (San Francisco 49ers), Bobby Turner (Washington Redskins), Dave Magazu (Carolina Panthers) and Alvin Reynolds (Baltimore Ravens), (Atlanta Falcons).

His two best seasons were 1983 and 1984 as he led the Sycamores to consecutive playoff appearances, in 1983, Indiana State finished at 8-2 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Div 1-AA playoffs before losing to conference foe, Southern Illinois. The Sycamores took the momentum gained from 1983 season and ran off nine straight victories to open the 1984 season; they achieved the top spot in the nation with a No. 1 ranking. The Indiana State season came to an abrupt end, as the Sycamores dropped a 42-41 OT decision in their 2nd consecutive Pecan Bowl. Raetz led the Sycamores football team to 2 of its 3 9-win seasons, the highest victory total in 106 years of Sycamore football.

Prior to joining the Sycamores staff, Raetz was an assistant coach at the University of Missouri during the 1977; developing a professional partnership with Dick Jamieson that would lead to Terre Haute, Indiana and the Indiana State Sycamores. Joining Dick Jamieson as the defensive coordinator / linebackers coach at Indiana State, when Jamieson was tapped as the 14th head coach in Indiana State history; two seasons later, when Jamieson was hired onto the staff of the NFL's Cardinals, Raetz succeeded him as the 15th coach for the Indiana State Sycamores.

Raetz began a coaching career that took him from North Kansas City High, where his teams were renowned for their defensive prowess, to a head coaching position at the J.C Harmon High; where he coached future NFL Pro Bowler Mark Haynes. He left there to join the staff at the University of Missouri.