Mr. Yilek is a 1984 graduate of Coe College where he was a two-time captain of the wrestling team, a four time conference champion and three-time most valuable performer. A popular teacher, he dedicated 26 years of his career in education to coaching wrestling. Twenty-four of those years were as a head coach with a year at Woodbine, seven at Carlisle and 16 at Belle Plaine before retiring in 2010. His teams at those three schools amassed a dual meet record of 306-91 for a winning percentage of 77.1. Ten times his teams won the traditional district title, including eight at Belle Plaine. Twelve seasons including nine at Belle Plaine, his teams turned in top ten state meet finishes. His 2001 team won the Traditional State Tournament and the State Dual Team Tournament. At the Traditional State Tournament he coached 115 qualifiers with 62 taking home medals. Ten of the medal winners were crowned as champions and 14 were runner-ups. One of his title holders, Dustin Hinschberger was a three time NCAA Champion at Wartburg. He was the NFHS-Iowa Coach of the Year in 2009 and in 2010 he was a finalist for National Coach of the Year awarded by the National High School Coaches association. In 2001 and 2008 he was named as the state coach of the year, once Class 1A and once in Class 2A. He and his wife Barb make their home in Belle Plaine.