Texas Lutheran Football
Assistant Coaching Staff
Tim Williams – Quarterbacks
Tim Williams joins the TLU coaching staff this Spring 2007. Williams comes to TLU from Hondo High School, where he coached football and basketball for the past five years. For the last two years, Williams has been the offensive coordinator and the head basketball coach. In football, the Hondo Owls reached the state quarterfinals in 2005 and the state semifinals in 2006. In both the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the Hondo Owls reached the state basketball playoffs.
Williams received a bachelor of science degree in kinesiology with a minor in computer science from Sul Ross State University in 2001. He lettered four years in football and one year in baseball at Sul Ross. Williams set school records for single-season touchdown passes and passing yards in 2000 at SRSU. Coach Williams graduated from Cleburne High School in 1997. Williams led the 1996 football team to the regional quarterfinals. In that year, he set four single-season records as quarterback. At Cleburne High School, he was named All-Area Offensive MVP and First Team All District.
Coach Williams and his wife Jessica have been married five years. The Williams' just welcomed a new baby girl, Kaya, to the family in the summer of 2007.
Joe Matulich – Running Backs / Full Backs / Tight Ends
Coach Joe Matulich has been coaching high school football in the state of Texas for 34 years. He has been a head coach at Smithson Valley High School and was the first Head Coach at San Antonio Madison. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University (Class of 1969).
Joe is married to Beth (37 years) and has three children: Jeb (34), a teacher in Frisco, Texas; Ben (31) a teacher in Garland, Texas; and Janey (16), a junior at New Braunfels High School.
John Jennings – Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers / Recruiting Coordinator
John Jennings joined the TLU 2007 coaching staff as the linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. Following the 2007 season, Jennings was promoted to defensive coordinator and retained the titles of linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator. Jennings’ 2006 season was spent at Baylor University, where he assisted in coaching the secondary as a graduate assistant. He worked primarily with the safeties.
Previous to Baylor, Jennings spent five years at Texas Tech under Head Coach Mike Leach. From 2003-2006, Jennings coached the linebackers at Texas Tech under the supervision of his mentor and former Texas Tech defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich. Tech’s defense went from one of the worst in the nation in 2002 to No. 19 in the nation in just one season. Jennings played a part in helping Setencich install a new defense in 2003.
During his time at Texas Tech, Jennings coached the linebackers and helped develop Mike Smith, a 2005 NFL draft pick and current player for the Baltimore Ravens.
Prior to his linebacker coaching duties, Jennings worked as an intern in 2002 and as student assistant in 2001 with the defensive line. For the five straight seasons that Jennings coached at Tech, he was involved in five different bowl games: the 2001 Alamo Bowl, 2002 Tangerine Bowl, 2003 Houston EV1.net Bowl, 2004 Holiday Bowl, and 2006 Cotton Bowl.
Jennings received both his masters and bachelors degrees from Texas Tech. Before Tech, Jennings spent his playing days at McNeese State, where he played at tight end for three seasons. The native of Liberty, Texas resides in New Braunfels with his wife, Erica. Erica began work in the fall of 2007 at TLU as a part-time professor in the biology department.
Brian Ware – Defensive Line Assistant
Brian Ware lettered four years as a fullback, linebacker, safety and special teams contributor. He appeared in 30 games in his Bulldog career. A product of Austin’s Reagan High School, Ware is a kinesiology major at Texas Lutheran. He is in his senior year of academic work. Ware is the son of Howard Ware and Elaine Clark of Austin.
Bill Sweda – Football Operations
Bill Sweda joins the Texas Lutheran coaching staff for the 2007 season after working in the Texas public school system for 35 years. Sweda has made coaching stops at Somerset and Converse Judson and has worked in the San Antonio Independent School District and the Northeast Independent School District. Sweda just retired from the San Antonio ISD, where he was employed as a special education coordinator.
Coach Sweda was a general football assistant at Converse Judson at the same time Coach Dennis Parker was on the Converse Judson coaching staff. Sweda and Parker worked together with the offensive line and the running backs.
Coach Sweda has been married for 38 years. He and his wife Starla have two children: Stephanie and Brian. The Swedas have three grandchildren: Tayrn, 10, Collin, 9, and Kylie, 16 months.
Coach Sweda has a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and a master’s degree from Trinity University. Coach Sweda met his wife at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio while they both served in the U.S. Army.
Coach Sweda is active at MacArthur Park Lutheran Church in San Antonio. He enjoys model trains, golf and spoiling his grandkids.
James Pierce – Student Assistant Coach / Running Backs Assistant
James Pierce has been with the football program for four years. He has worked as a film assistant and equipment manager. James is currently working as an assistant coach on the defensive line.
James is originally from Parrish, Alab. He graduated from Parrish High School. He attended Walker College in Alabama.
James is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He spent one year serving in Iraq in the U.S. Army. James is a staff sergeant. He is currently a member of the U.S. Army Reserves.
Chris Castillo - Defensive Line
Awan Diles - Secondary
Peter Lofthouse - Wide Receivers