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2005 Coaching Staff

Larry Kehres, Head Coach

     Kehres enters his 20th 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 217-19-3 (.914) is phenomenal by itself, but that is just the beginning.

     His teams have posted 14 undefeated regular seasons (86-90-92-93-95-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04), won 41 of 49 playoff games, 15 Ohio Athletic Conference championships (86-90-92-93-94-95-96-97-98-99-00-01-02-03-04) 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.  He then did one better than that by winning 55 straight games from the beginning of the 2000 season to the final game of 2003, 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 2005 season having won 121 of his last 124 contests.

     Kehres is a native of Diamond, Ohio and went to Southeast High School.  He played quarterback while attending Mount Union College (67-70) 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 (71-72) 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).     

Jeff Wojtowicz, Secondary

     Wojtowicz is in his 19th 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.

     In 2001, Wojtowicz earned the National Football Foundation's Northeastern Ohio Assistant Coach of the Year Award, and last season was named the OAC Co-Assistant Coach of the Year as voted by the 10 head coaches in the league. 

     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 (81-83) 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 and women's tennis teams.  He was named OAC Tennis Coach of the Year in 1999.

Matt Campbell, Offensive Line

     Campbell joined the Raiders coaching staff in January of this year following two seasons serving as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green State University while pursuing a Masters Degree in Education Administration.  He will work mostly with the offensive line this season.         

     The former Raider All-American defensive end played on three national championship teams while earning First-Team All-OAC honors and being voted the conference's best defensive lineman in 2001 and 2002.  He was also honored as a College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) Academic All-American in 2002 while majoring in history.

     During his playing career, Campbell recorded 101 tackles and 13 sacks, while setting a Mount Union single season record for tackles for loss with 25 and a single game tackles for loss mark of six during his senior season of 2002.  

Jason Candle, Wide Receivers

     Candle begins his third year as a wide receiver coach for the Raiders after serving as a student assistant in 2002.  During his playing days, Candle caught 57 passes for 1,037 yards and 11 touchdowns for Mount Union, earning First-Team All-OAC honors in 2001.  He played on two national championship teams (00-01). 

Vince Kehres, Defensive Line

     Kehres returns for his sixth year as part of the coaching staff this season where he excelled on the gridiron during his college career.  He will assume defensive line duties this year after spending four seasons in charge of the defensive ends prior to coaching the offensive line last season. 

     He was a four-year letter winner (94-97) as a defensive end, recording 62 tackles and 12 tackles for loss during his playing career, while playing on two national championship teams (96-97).  He earned All-Conference honors his senior season when the Purple Raiders' defense led the nation in fewest points allowed (5.6 ppg) and run defense (48.6 ypg), while posting five shutouts.

Joel Cockley, Running Backs / Tight Ends

     Cockley returns this season to the Purple Raiders coaching staff for a sixth 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 (81-88, 95-99), Dover High School (1979) and Buckeye North High School (76-78).   In addition, he has been an assistant coach at Youngstown State University (1980) and Triway High School (73-75).  Cockley played safety in college at Northeast Missouri State (69-72) and was a part of three conference title teams.

Ed Hogya, Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

     Hogya is in his second stint as a Purple Raider assistant and will work with receivers for a third consecutive season.  A 1989 Mount Union graduate, he was a three-year letter winner (86-88), catching 109 passes for 2,039 yards and 13 touchdowns during his career, earning First-Team All-OAC honors at wide receiver in 1988.

Nick Sirianni, Linebackers

     Sirianni enters his second season as an assistant coach at his Alma Mater and will work with the linebackers this year after spending time with the cornerbacks in 2004.  He was a three-year letter winner (01-03) at wide receiver for the Purple Raiders, playing on two national championship teams.  He finished his career with 68 receptions for 1,332 yards and 17 touchdowns, earning All-Conference honors in 2003.

Matt Caponi, Cornerbacks

     Caponi is in his first season as an assistant coach after spending a year as student assistant in 2004.  He was a three-year letter winner (01-03) at safety for Mount Union, registering 124 career tackles while leading the Raiders in interceptions (5) and passes broken up (11) his senior year.  Caponi played on two national championship teams earning Honorable Mention All-OAC honors in 2002 and Second-Team All-Conference honors in 2003.

Zac Bruney, Quarterbacks

     Bruney joins the coaching ranks after serving as a two-year starter and four-year letter winner at quarterback for the Purple Raiders.  During his playing career he led all of Division III in passing efficiency (03) and earned the Mike Gregory Award as the OAC's best offensive back his senior year.  Bruney ranks fourth all-time at Mount Union with 5,769 passing yards with 64 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

     Bruney earned the Clyde Lamb Award as the college's top male student-athlete in 2004-05, and also was named to "ESPN's The Magazine" 2004 Football Academic All-American Team.

George Momirovic, Offensive Line

     Momirovic will help coach the offensive line this season after serving as a student assistant last year.  He was a two-year starter (02-03) and three-year letter winner (01-03) at left tackle for Mount Union, playing on the 2002 national championship team.  

Student Assistants:

Rick Ciccone, Running Backs

Joe Culler, Defensive Line

Ron DeJulio, Defensive Line / Linebackers

Drew Hanley, Tight Ends, Receivers

Steve Watson, Kickers / Punters

Josh Wells, Secondary