Kehres enters his 16th 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 164-17-3 (.891) is phenomenal
by itself, but that is just the beginning.
His teams have posted ten
undefeated regular seasons (1986-90-92-93-95-96-97-98-99-00), won 28 of 34 playoff games,
11 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) championships (1986-90-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-00) and
have been Division III National Champions five times (1993-96-97-98-00).
Beginning with the first game
in 1996, to the final game of 1999, 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 1990's, and enters the 2001
season having won 80 of his last 82 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 five times (93-96-97-98-00) as voted
on by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).
Don Montgomery, Defensive
Coordinator
Montgomery enters his 24th
year as an assistant football coach at Mount Union College and his 16th season as the
Purple Raider's defensive coordinator. Under his leadership, Mount Union's defense
allowed just 10.5 points per game in the 1990's, and has led the OAC in team defense
eight different times (1990-93-94-95-97-98-99-00).
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
Wojtowicz is in his 15th 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
Leigh is set to begin his 13th
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
Cvelbar enters his ninth
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
Kehres returns for his second
year as part of the coaching staff of his alma mater this season where he excelled on the
gridiron during his college career. He was 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
Jones is back with the Raider
coaching staff this season for a second year 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.
Rudy Sharkey, Offensive Line
Sharkey is in his seventh 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.
Paul Gulling, Receivers
Gulling is in his fifth 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.
Ron Bayduke, Tight Ends
Bayduke joins the Purple
Raiders' staff after serving as the head football coach at Fairless High School the past
three seasons. Prior to that, he served as an assistant coach at St. Joe's High
School (1978-87), Massillon High School (1974-76/1988-89) and Black River High School
(1973).
He is a 1973 graduate of
Eastern Montana, where he was a three-year starter at quarterback. In 1977, he
earned his masters from the University of Akron.
Joel Cockley, Running Backs
Cockley
returns this season to the Purple Raiders coaching staff for a second consecutive
year. 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.
Clyde Ross, Kickers
Ross enters his eighth 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).
