Todd Throckmorton
Assistant Coach - Offensive Coordinator
Todd Throckmorton begins his fourth stint at Missouri Western with the 2023 football season, returning to his alma mater as offensive coordinator.
Throckmorton coached a variety of positions for the Griffons from 1990-96, serving as assistant head coach during the 1996 season. He returned for a stint as offensive line coach in 2004-2005, and then became the tight ends coach in 2009, taking over the offensive line from 2009-2012, and then served as offensive coordinator from 2013-17.
Throckmorton rejoined Griffon head coach Tyler Fenwick in 2019 at Southeastern Oklahoma, serving as the program’s offensive line coach and offensive coordinator. His offensive line was a big part of Southeastern’s posting one of the best turnarounds in the history of Division II football, moving from a 1-10 record in his first season to 9-3 in his second.
The 2021 Savage Storm offense racked up 5,067 yards of total offense, averaging 422.3 yards per game behind Throckmorton’s offensive line, with 1,845 of those yards coming on the ground and 3,222 coming in the air. Throckmorton’s offense saw Braxton Kincade take home honorable mention All-Great American Conference honors, while SE finished the year averaging 375.9 yards per game on offense.
That team also had 11 players pick up Academic All-GAC honors, seven of them on the offensive side of the ball.
Prior to his time at Southeastern, Throckmorton spent two seasons as the offensive line coach and assistant head coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point where he also coordinated the team’s recruiting efforts.
Throckmorton also spent three years as a tight ends coach at New Mexico and four years as the head coach at Fort Lewis College.
At Fort Lewis, seven of his 11 wins came in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) games. During his tenure at FLC, he coached 30 All-RMAC players, 14 academic All-RMAC picks, and two RMAC Freshman of the Year honorees. In 2002, the Skyhawks led the nation in passing offense with an average of 373.5 passing yards per game.
He spent three seasons at San Jose State after his first stint at Missouri Western. Throckmorton graduated from Missouri Western in 1987 with his Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and earned a Master of Arts in Physical Education from the University of South Dakota in 1989.
Patrick St. Louis
Assistant Coach - Running Backs
On December 16, 2022, Missouri Western State University head football coach Tyler Fenwick announced that St. Louis will serve as the running backs coach. Fenwick expressed his confidence in St. Louis' abilities and respect for him as a former player.
Previously, St. Louis was named co-offensive coordinator in 2018 after serving as run game coordinator and offensive line coach in 2017. In 2021, he helped lead the team to an impressive scoring average of 34 points per game, while producing excellent numbers for the offensive line, with over 200 yards on the ground per game and breaking the 5 yards per carry mark. Four Griffons from his area received All-MIAA nominations for the 2022 season.
St. Louis began his coaching career at Missouri Western as a student assistant, then served as a graduate assistant at Morehead State from 2009-10. He also served as the offensive line coach at Olivet College in 2012. St. Louis earned his Masters of Arts in Education from Morehead State University in 2010. He and his wife, Chastity, have two sons, Aiden and Grey, and they live in St. Joseph, Missouri. Together, they create a warm and nurturing environment for their family to thrive in.
Aaron Bell
Assistant Coach - Wide Receivers
Aaron Bell was announced as the wide receivers coach at Missouri Western in January of 2022.
Bell is in his second stint at Missouri Western. He coached wide receivers from 2006-2014 for the Griffons.
Since his time at Missouri Western, Bell has spent time at KIPP Legacy High School, Park Hill High School, and North Kansas City High School as an assistant football coach.
During his first tenure at Missouri Western, the Griffons posted a 77-31 combined record and made six postseason appearances, capturing the MIAA title in 2012. During that time, wideouts Jarrett Brooks and Cedric Houston earned first-team All-MIAA honors, with Houston earning an honorable mention all-America honor from D2Football.com after a season in which he caught 57 passes for 1,006 yards and a school record 15 touchdowns. During that 2009 season, Houston's 229 receiving yards against Colorado Mesa (then Mesa State) set a Missouri Western record that stands to this day — while four receivers mentored by Bell — Houston, Andrew Mead, Jarrett Brooks, and Tarrell Downing, remain in the top-ten all-time at Missouri Western in receiving yards.
Prior to his first stint at Missouri Western, Bell coached defensive backs for two years.
His son, Ronnie, was a two-time all-Big Ten honoree, a five-year letter winner, and served as the captain of the Michigan Wolverines football team. A graduate of Pittsburg State University where he earned a pair of letters at wideout, he also played at Missouri State and Fort Scott Community College.
Ace Ventura
Assistant Coach - Tight Ends
Ace Ventura started his MWSU career in 2022 and is now coaching the quarterback room for the 2023 season. During his first season, he served as a graduate assistant coach for the running backs.
OUTSIDE OF MWSU
Ventura played college ball at East Central University, playing from 2017-21. During the 2018 season, he made the ECU Falls Dean’s List and Spring President’s List. Ventura also earned a spot on the 2020 ECU Fall and Spring President’s Lists.
Before then, he played at Denton High School in Denton, Texas. Ventura Helped the Broncos to two bi-district championships and a district title as a senior
As a Bronco, Ventura was a first team all-district and earned all-area honors as a junior and senior
Matthew Winter
Assistant Coach - Quarterbacks
Matthew Winter officially joined the Missouri Western football coach staff in the summer of 2024 as an assistant quarterbacks coach.
Prior to this, he worked as a quarterbacks manager at the University of Arizona under head coach Jedd Fisch. During his time with the Wildcats, he pursued a degree in interdisciplinary studies.
Before his time at Arizona, he was a quarterback for two years at Western New Mexico. He later transitioned to coaching as a student assistant who helped with practice planning and analyzing film.
Winter is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and graduated from Brophy College Preparatory in 2020.
