Kehres enters his 15th season as
head coach of the Mount Union Purple Raiders as one of the most successful head coaches in
the history of college football. His overall record of 150-17-3 (.891) is phenomenal
by itself, but that is just the beginning.
His teams have posted nine
undefeated regular seasons (1986-90-92-93-95-96-97-98-99), won 24 of 30 playoff games
under his direction, ten Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships
(1986-90-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99) and have been Division III National Champions four times
(1993-96-97-98).
Beginning with the first game
in 1996, to the final game of the 1999 season, his teams won 54 straight football games,
setting a new standard in college football for excellence. He guided the Raiders to
a unbelievable mark of 120-7-1 (.941) during the decade of the 1990s, and enters the 2000
season having won 66 of his last 68 contests.
Kehres is a native of Diamond,
Ohio and went to Southeast High School. He played quarterback while attending Mount
Union College (1967-70) and still holds the school record for longest pass completion, 95
yards for a touchdown, in a 1970 contest versus Ohio Northern.
He was a graduate assistant
coach at Bowling Green State University (1971-72) while earning a master's degree in
health and physical education. He served as head football coach for one season
(1973) at Johnstown Monroe High School before returning to Alliance and spending the next
eleven years as a Purple Raider assistant coach, mostly offensive coordinator, before
taking over as head coach in 1986.
Kehres is also an associate
professor of physical education and athletic director at Mount Union College, and has been
named the GTE Division III National Coach of the Year four times (1993-96-97-98) as voted
on by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Don Montgomery, Defensive
Coordinator
Montgomery enters his 23rd
year as an assistant football coach at Mount Union College and his 15th season as the
Purple Raider's defensive coordinator. Under his leadership, Mount Union's defense
allowed just 10.5 points per game in the 1990s, and led the OAC in team defense
seven different times (1990-93-94-95-97-98-99).
He spent one year as an
assistant coach at Indiana State University (1977) before returning to his Alma
Mater the
next season. As a guard at Mount Union (1974-77) he was a three-year letter winner
and was a recipient of the John Thorpe Football Memorial Award, which is based on the
leadership, scholarship, sportsmanship and overall contribution to his school.
Montgomery is an instructor in
the Health and Physical Education Department at Mount Union College and received the
American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Assistant Coach of the Year award in 1999.
Jeff Wojtowicz, Secondary Coach
Wojtowicz is in his 14th year
as an assistant coach for the Purple Raiders and handles the defensive backfield.
Under his guidance, the 1992 Raider defense set an OAC record with 33 interceptions.
He was a graduate assistant at
Indiana State University (1984) and an assistant coach at Wittenberg University (1985)
before returning to Mount Union in 1986. He was a three-year letter winner for the
Raiders as a defensive back (1981-83) and was a co-captain of the football team his senior
year, earning Honorable-Mention All-OAC honors that season.
Wojtowicz also is an
instructor in the Health and Physical Education Department at Mount Union, and coaches the
men's tennis team. He was named OAC Tennis Coach of the Year in 1999.
Joe Leigh, Defensive Line Coach
Leigh is set to begin his 12th
season as an assistant football coach at Mount Union. He was the head coach at
Ravenna High School (1970-88) and also coached the wrestling team (1968-73). Prior
to that he was an assistant football coach at St. Mary's High School in Colorado Springs,
CO (1964-68). He was a four-year letter winner as a center at Hiram College
(1959-62).
Marty Cvelbar, Linebackers Coach
Cvelbar enters his eighth
season as an assistant coach for the Raiders. He was an assistant football coach at
Alliance High School (1980-92) and Wooster High School (1979). He was a three-year
letter winner as a defensive tackle at the College of Wooster (1976-79).
Vince Kehres, Defensive Ends Coach
Kehres joins the coaching
staff of his alma mater this season where he excelled on the gridiron during his college
career. He is a four-year letter winner (1994-97) as a defensive end, played on two
national championship teams (1996-97) and earned All-Conference honors his senior season.
Gerald Jones, Jr., Cornerbacks
Coach
Jones joins the Raider coaching
staff this season after a one year stint coaching defensive backs and wide receivers at
Tyner High School in Chattanooga, TN. He is a 1998 graduate of Emory & Henry
College, where he was a four-year letter winner and earned All-Conference honors as a
defensive back.
Clyde Ross, Kickers/Offensive Line
Coach
Ross enters his seventh season
as the Raiders kicking coach. He served as an assistant football coach at
Salem High School (1970-76), United High School (1969) and Bowling Green State University
(1968) where he graduated. He also attended and played collegiate football at
Southern Illinois State University (1957-58) and Morris Harvey College (now Charleston
University) (1955-56).
Rudy Sharkey, Offensive Line Coach
Sharkey is in his sixth year
as a Raider assistant coach. He was a part-time assistant coach
at the University of Akron (1984-93) and a full-time assistant at Akron (1993-95).
He has had several head
coaching stints, including Barberton High School (1970-83) where he also served as
Athletic Director (1983-93), Bellaire High School (1967-69), Midwestern College in
Denison, IA (1966), Zanesville Maysville High School (1959-65) and Bucyrus High School
(1957-58). Sharkey was a four-year letter winner as a halfback at Marietta College,
where he graduated in 1957.
Ken Lewis, Offensive Line Coach
Lewis returns for his second
season as a Raider assistant coach. Prior to joining the Raiders staff, he served as
an assistant football coach at Minerva High School (1979-97) and Marlington High School
(1978). He was a three-year letter winner during his collegiate football career at
Mount Union as a defensive end (1973-75).
Paul Gulling, Receivers/Tight Ends
Coach
Gulling is in his fourth year
coaching the Raiders receivers. During his college career at Mount Union, he was a
three-time First-Team All-OAC wide receiver (1977-79). He was named a 1979 Little
All-American and signed a two-year contract with the Canadian Football League's Hamilton
Tiger-Cats following graduation from Mount Union College in 1980.
Joel Cockley, Running Backs Coach
Cockley
returns this season to the Purple Raiders coaching staff. He served under Larry
Kehres from 1989-94 at Mount Union, including the final three of those seasons as
offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.
He has held a
number of head coaching positions at the high school level, including Alliance High School
(1981-88, 1995-99), Dover High School (1979) and Buckeye North High School (1976-78).
In addition, he has been an assistant coach at Youngstown State University (1980)
and Triway High School (1973-75). Cockley played safety in college at Northeast
Missouri State (1969-72) and was a part of three conference title teams.
