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2003 Coaching Staff

Larry Kehres, Head Coach

     Kehres enters his 18th 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 192-17-3 (.913) is phenomenal by itself, but that is just the beginning.

     His teams have posted 12 undefeated regular seasons (86-90-92-93-95-96-97-98-99-00-01-02), won 36 of 42 playoff games, 13 Ohio Athletic Conference championships (86-90-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-00-01-02) and have been Division III National Champions seven times (93-96-97-98-00-01-02).

     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 2003 season having won 96 of his last 97 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 seven times (93-96-97-98-00-01-02) as voted on by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).     

Don Montgomery, Defensive Coordinator

     Montgomery enters his 26th year as an assistant football coach at Mount Union College and his 18th season as the Purple Raiders 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 10 different times (90-93-94-95-97-98-99-00-01-02). 

     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, and was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Assistant Coach of the Year in 2001.

Jeff Wojtowicz, Secondary

     Wojtowicz is in his 17th 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 15th 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). 

Vince Kehres, Defensive Ends

     Kehres returns for his fourth 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.

Stan Watson, Linebackers

     Watson enters his first season as an assistant coach for the Raiders.  He was twice named First-Team All-OAC (01-02) and was an All-American in 2002 at Linebacker, playing a big part on three national championship teams (00-01-02).

E.J. Henderson, Cornerbacks

     Henderson is in his second year as an assistant with Mount Union.  He is a graduate of Central Washington University (1996) and was a receiver on CWU's 1995 NAIA national championship squad, earning First-Team All-Conference honors his senior year.  He served as a graduate assistant at the University of Louisville (KY) in 2001, helping the Cardinals to a Liberty Bowl victory that season.

Rudy Sharkey, Offensive Line

     Sharkey is in his ninth 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.

Scott Coy, Offensive Line

     Coy enters his first season as an assistant coach for the Raiders.  He was a two-year letter winner (00-01) as an offensive tackle during his playing days at Mount Union and starred on two national championship teams (00-01).

Mark Blegen, Snappers / Offensive Line

     Blegen enters his third year volunteering as an assistant coach for the Raiders.  He is also an assistant professor in Mount Union College's Department of Human Performance and Sports Management.  He is a 1994 graduate of St Olaf College (MN), earning a M.S. in exercise physiology from St. Cloud State University (MN) in 1996 and a Ph.D. in exercise physiology from Kent State University in 2001.

Joel Cockley, Running Backs

     Cockley returns this season to the Purple Raiders coaching staff for a fourth 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.

Gene Paina, Receivers / Tight Ends

     Paina enters his third year as a Raider assistant coach.  He is a graduate (1978) of Mount Union College and was a four-year letter winner and three-year starter at wide receiver for the Purple Raiders during his college career.

     He spent 17 years as an assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at United Local High School and served two years on the Alliance High School football staff, coaching wide receivers and defensive backs.

Jason Candle, Wide Receivers

     Candle begins his first year as a wide receiver coach for the Raiders after serving as a student assistant last season.  He earned First-Team All-OAC honors catching passes for Mount Union in 2001 and played on two national championship teams (00-01).

Clyde Ross, Kickers

     Ross enters his tenth 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).  

Additional Assistant Coaches:

Ed Hogya, Quarterbacks / Wide Receivers

Kacy Carter, Linebackers / Defensive Backs