Mount Union's Larry Kehres Named 2010 AFCA President

Courtesy of the AFCA

ORLANDO, Fla. - Mount Union College Head Coach Larry Kehres will lead the American Football Coaches Association in 2010 as president of the organization.

Kehres, who moves up from first vice-president of the Association, succeeds outgoing president Dick Tomey of San Jose State University. Kehres was elected president by members attending the Association’s 2010 convention this week in Orlando, Fla.

“Serving on the Board has been a great honor.” Kehres said. “Moving into the presidency is an even greater honor and responsibility. I’m going to do the best that I can to live up to what it has become under the men who preceeded me.”

In addition to Kehres, 2010 AFCA officers include first vice-president Rob Ash of Montana State University; second vice-president Tim Murphy of Harvard University and third vice-president Rich Rodriguez of the University of Michigan.

Also serving on the Board in 2010: Mike Welch, Ithaca College; Jim Tressel, Ohio State University; Mack Brown, University of Texas; Lee Owens, Ashland University; Jim Grobe, Wake Forest University; Bill Cronin, Georgetown College (Ky.); Lou Tepper, Indiana University (Pa.); Frank Solich, Ohio University; Randy Edsall, University of Connecticut; Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt University; Turner Gill, University of Kansas; Mike Riley, Oregon State University; Gary Patterson, TCU and Bobby Kennedy, University of Texas, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee. Patterson and Kennedy are newly-elected members of the Board this year. AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.

One of the most successful coaches in college football history, Kehres has led Mount Union to 10 Division III championships in 24 seasons at the school. He ended the 2009 season with a staggering career record of 289-22-3 (.925) at his alma mater. His career winning percentage is the best in the history of college football at any level.

Kehres has won more AFCA National Coach of the Year awards (9) and AFCA Regional Coach of the Year awards (14) than any other coach in the history of the Association. Mount Union set the NCAA all-division record for consecutive wins with 55 in a row from 2000-2003. Kehres also guided the Purple Raiders to a 54-game winning streak from 1996-1999, which was the previous all-division record. Mount Union has won 139 of its last 140 regular season games and has an overall record of 139-5 (.965) this decade. He has guided Mount Union to 20 Ohio Athletic Conference titles, including a current streak of 18 in a row.

A 1971 graduate of Mount Union, Kehres began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 1971. He served as the head coach at Johnstown (Ohio) High School in 1973 before returning to Mount Union as an assistant coach in 1974. He was named Director of Athletics in 1985 and still holds that position. After one year serving only as Director of Athletics he began his head coaching career in 1986.

The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world, ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football and coaching.”