Willie Cashmore, a former Drake University football standout, is in his third season as an assistant coach at his alma mater and will oversee the Bulldogs’ defensive line after serving as the team’s tight ends coach in 2013.
Cashmore helped guide seniors Matt Acree and Brett Park to first-team All-PFL honors and sophomore Mack Marrin as PFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and honorable mention honors.
In his first season at Drake, he helped coach Eric Saubert to first-team All-PFL honors with 549 yards on 47 catches with two touchdowns. During that season, the Bulldogs’ tight ends accounted for 40 percent of the team’s receiving yardage and 47 percent of the team’s catches.
Prior to returning to his alma mater, Cashmore spent four seasons as an assistant at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In those four seasons, he helped transform the Reivers from a first-year program in 2009 to an NJCAA National Championship in 2012.
During the national championship season, Cashmore coached the team’s defensive backs and special teams as the team recorded a sterling 12-0 record en route to the title with 10 Reivers earning All-America honors. During his first three seasons at IWCC, he coached the team’s running backs and also oversaw the program’s special teams in 2010 and 2011.
As a student-athlete, Cashmore lettered four seasons at Drake (2003, 05, 06, 07) and received a bachelor’s degree in math education in 2007. On the field, he set program records and led the Pioneer Football League in scoring with 108 points in 2006 and tied the single-game scoring record with 30 points in a contest at Jacksonville. He also ranked ninth nationally in the FCS in scoring that season while earning All-PFL honors.
Following his graduation, Cashmore spent a year in China teaching English through Drake’s Teach in China Program before joining the staff at IWCC.
Cashmore, who came to Drake as a student-athlete from St. Pius X High School in Kansas City, Mo., recently married the former Kara Engebrecht, a fellow Drake graduate and volleyball student-athlete. His brother, Pat, was also a member of the Bullddogs’ football program who led the team in rushing in 2011.
