Here's kind of a goofy photo of one of the cranes that covers Iowa's practice. A video cameraman is perched on top of these. I've seen these at EVERY Iowa practice I've EVER witness. University of Iowa’s Video Coordinator Matt Engelbert was named the 2011 Collegiate Sports Video Association’s Big Ten Conference Video Coordinator of the Year. (Marc Morehouse)

Iowa football is more than Kirk Ferentz, players, Big Ass Turkey Legs and Kinnick Stadium.

I get to meet a ton of great people behind the scenes and Matt Engelbert is at the top of that list. He’s Iowa’s video coordinator. We run into each other a lot. We share a lot of sports teams, the Packers and the Cubs. He’s much more of a Cubs optimist than I am, bless his heart.

Matt keeps a blog that will take you a step or two inside the Iowa program (photos and videos). No state secrets, but some of the fun things that you normally wouldn’t get to see. One of my faves was Kirk Ferentz wearing a Santa hat at practice a few years ago. Here’s Engy’s.

Matt won Big Ten video coordinator of the year. A very cool deal for a great guy (even though we live at different ends of Cubs fandom). 

IOWA’S ENGELBERT EARNS VIDEO HONOR

Matt Engelbert, Iowa video coordinator

IOWA CITY, Iowa – - University of Iowa’s Video Coordinator Matt Engelbert was named the 2011 Collegiate Sports Video Association’s Big Ten Conference Video Coordinator of the Year.

Engelbert was voted on by his peers in the Big Ten to become the Coordinator of the Year. He is now a finalist for the prestigious Bob Matey National Video Coordinator of the Year. The national award will be handed out at the CSVA banquet on May 12th.

As one of the longest-tenured video coordinators in the Big Ten Conference, Engelbert has been recognized by his peers for the third time. He earned the same honor in both 1998 and 2008. In 1998, he earned first place in the AVID Best Video contest. He has been a member of the Iowa staff for 22 years.

Engelbert’s contributions to Hawkeye football success were acknowledged when he received the Bump Elliott Staff Appreciation Award in 1997. He also was the creator of the successful Iowa Football Fan Fest. Among his personal achievements, Engelbert was the keynote commencement speaker at North Mahaska High School in 2001, from which he graduated in 1988.

Engelbert, a native of New Sharon, Iowa, earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from the University of Iowa.

Engelbert and his staff of five are responsible for shooting all games and practices. Immediately following each game, video is digitized and sorted according to offense, defense and special teams. Tapes then are produced showing each play from every angle the video staff shoots – - three angles for most games. Video is merged with key data, such as down and distance, to provide coaches with a complete analysis of every play.

The video staff produces highlight videos shown at recruiting events and I-Club gatherings throughout the year. The videos also are shown in Kinnick Stadium during the season.

Engelbert oversaw the department’s conversion to a tapeless environment in 1996. The Hawkeyes were also the first team in the country to switch to Beta SX in 1999, the best video format available, as well as Smart Acquisition Technology (SAT) hard drive capture in 2004.

The Bob Matey Award is presented annually to the individual who possesses the qualities and attributes that exhumes the characteristics that are portrayed from the late Bob Matey, video coordinator from Texas A&M.

Matey was a pioneer in the coaches’ video field and was instrumental in the development and operation of Texas A&M’s video laboratory from 1987 until his death in 1997. Matey oversaw the technical transition from film acquisition to videotape acquisition of football practices and games as Texas A&M was one of the first colleges in the country to convert to the BetaCam format in 1987. The use of videotape revolutionized the play-by-play breakdown of games and practices and became an industry standard for football players and coaches in game preparation and evaluation.