Hilbert College Men's Football

John Noel recently served as the defensive coordinator at Erie Community College after two stops working with semi-professional football teams.  Noel was the vice president of player personnel and defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the River City Raider (St. Charles, MO) Indoor Professional Football league (2015-16) after he served as an assistant coach for the Tennessee Valley Vipers in the Areana Football League (2006-07).  The Missouri native got his first taste of coaching at NAIA Cumberland University (TN), where he did a little bit of everything right out of the gate.   He spent another ten years coaching, teaching, and serving as an athletic administrator at Missouri Military Academy, Layman Ward Military Academy (AL) and Westminster Christian Academy (AL) before jumping into the professional leagues Noel earned a History degree with a minor in education from Central Methodist College in 2000.  He will collect his graduate degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University in the Fall 2023 semester. 

Jim Hesch became the ninth head coach of the Hawks' golf program when he was joined the Hilbert College Athletics Department in August of 2025.   Hesch brings over 20 years of collegiate coaching experience to Hilbert, along with valuable organizational expertise from his role with the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. He will continue to serve as the superintendent of operations for the Conservancy's three golf courses while leading both the men's and women's golf programs at Hilbert.   A Central New York native, Hesch is well-acquainted with the demands of collegiate athletics, having served as head coach for men's and women's soccer programs at the NCAA Division I, II, III, and junior college levels. He began his coaching career at Canisius University in 2001 before a brief tenure at the University at Buffalo in 2011 led to a professional coaching opportunity with the Rochester Lancers of the MISL.   Hesch later returned to Buffalo, serving as an assistant men's coach before becoming the head women's soccer coach at D'Youville College. There, he successfully guided the Spartans through their transition from NCAA Division III to Division II. Most recently, Hesch led both the men's and women's soccer programs at SUNY Erie for two seasons.   Named the 2018 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Women's Soccer Coach of the Year, Hesch holds a degree in physical education from SUNY Cortland, earned in 1994. As a student-athlete, he was recognized as a First Team All-American during his senior season with the Red Dragons after earning a national championship with Southern Connecticut University in 1990. 

Education/Degrees: Ph.D., Rutgers University M.S., State University of New York at Buffalo B.S., SUNY at Buffalo A.S, Erie Community College Previous work history:Federal monitor, Buffalo Police Department Bio: Martin Floss, Ph.D. is a professor of criminal justice at Hilbert for over 20 years. In 1999 Floss served as director of the college’s Institute for Law Justice.  He has now been appointed chairperson of Hilbert’s new Graduate Program in Criminal Justice Administration. Dr. Floss is a noted law enforcement expert, researcher and evaluator in the area of drug courts and police ethics and stress, which has included project work for the Buffalo Police Department, City of Lockport, Erie County Juvenile Treatment Court, and the City of Utica. He has also served on the faculty of the National Drug Court Institute.           In addition, as a consultant, Dr. Floss was appointed by the U.S. Justice Department as federal reviewer for the Buffalo Police on practices related to use of force. Dr. Floss’ work in criminal justice has earned him many accolades, including an Erie County Law Enforcement Foundation Community Service Award, Educator of the Year Award from the Buffalo College Criminal Justice Alumni Chapter, The Buffalo News/Buffalo Police Department Outstanding Citizen Service Award, and an Erie Community College Distinguished Alumni Award. At Hilbert, he’s been recognized with a Faculty Recognition Award, Excellence in Scholarship Award and a Club Advisor of the Year Award. A past president and currently on the CJEANYS Executive Board, Floss is also a member of several other professional organizations, including the American Society of Criminology, National Association of Criminal Justice Sciences and the Police Executive Research Forum. He earned a doctorate in criminal justice from Rutgers University, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice from Buffalo State College, and an associate’s degree in police science from ECC.

Ethan Sheirer joins the Hawks after a successful tenure at multiple collegiate programs across the country, bringing with him extensive experience in offensive line development, recruiting operations, and program-building at the Division I and Division III levels. Sheirer’s most recent stint came at Ohio Wesleyan University, where he served as Offensive Line Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Director of social media, and Strength & Conditioning Liaison. In that multifaceted role, he led all aspects of offensive line development, designed and executed practice plans, evaluated recruiting prospects nationwide, and enhanced the program’s digital presence. He also played a key role in aligning training initiatives between the football staff and strength personnel to support optimal player performance. Prior to his time at Ohio Wesleyan, Sheirer spent one season serving as an Offensive Line Graduate Assistant at Boston College. There, he helped guide one of the ACC’s most productive offensive line units, working closely with First Team All-ACC selections Ozzy Trapilo and Drew Kendall, both of whom were selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Eagles capped his tenure with a postseason appearance in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. Sheirer also spent three seasons at the University at Buffalo, where he rose from Special Teams Quality Control to Senior Special Teams Analyst and ultimately to Offensive Line Graduate Assistant. His work with UB’s specialists contributed to national recognition, including All-MAC selections, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, and multiple school record-breaking performances. He played an integral role in film analysis, game-day execution, practice planning, and recruiting across various territories. Before entering Division I coaching, Sheirer began his career at the University of Jamestown, serving as Running Backs Graduate Assistant and later as Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach. In addition to mentoring the running backs unit, he coordinated scout defense, led extensive recruiting territories, and contributed to the program’s academic and player-development systems. A center at Lake Forest College, Sheirer was a standout student-athlete and team captain during his collegiate playing career. He earned First Team All-Conference honors and was voted both Team Captain and Most Valuable Player by his teammates.