Michael Virden was born in Des Moines, Iowa on October 20, 1968, to Norman and Lerrine Virden. He graduated from Ellsworth Community College in 1988 and from Boise State University with a BA in Education. He was the head coach at Ellsworth from 2008-2011. He stated that in the previous three years the program only won 8 conference/region games. In 2008,it was the first out-right Region XI Championship since 1992. 2009 was the first back-to-back Region Championships and Top 10 ranking since 1992 with three consecutive bowl games. The longest win streak in the history of ECC was 10 games. We had 9 All-American in 3 years, QB-WR had been All American for three years in a row. Ellsworth was among the top 10 in 2011 & 2009 reported in College Sporting News Pre-Season. Michael also helped energize Ellsworth and the community to build a new $50,000+ locker room/football complex for the 2009 season. Mike grew up in Des Moines and meet his wife Micki in Boise and moved back to Iowa Falls in 2008. He has has been involved in the Cloverdale Church of God in Boise. In His Own Words: As a college student and football player, ECC gave me the platform to advance my playing opportunities at Boise State University and be part of the ECC 1987 National Championship Team. I would never have had this opportunity to go to college and play football without such a unique and special place. Having the privilege to come back and be the head football coach of my alma mater was more special than I could have even thought. Leading the program into district championships, national rankings and having a chance to help young men, as I was once, was extremely rewarding. What came as a surprise was how special the community who support and take pride in ECC were and the life-long friends that came from that experience. Once again, Ellsworth College had helped me aspire to another level with the bond and mentorship of Dale Howard who had blessed many people including myself. I cannot thank ECC enough for the 2 amazing experiences it gave me and hope in some small way this endowment will do the same for another young man and his family.