In 2012, Larry Kehres (Care-Us) begins his 27th season as head football coach and 38th year working at Mount Union. In his 26 years at the helm of the Purple Raiders he has built one of the most successful programs in all of college football.

His teams have won 22 Ohio Athletic Conference Championships (1986, 1990, 1992-2011) while posting 20 undefeated regular seasons (1986, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995-2004, 2006-2011) and claiming 10 NCAA Division III National Championships (1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008).

Since 2000, Kehres has compiled a record of 167-7 with six national championships.

In total, Kehres has a career coaching record of 317-25-3 (.924) which makes him one of only 11 coaches in college football history to win over 300 games. For his efforts has been named American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year a record 16 times, AFCA National Coach of the Year eight times, OAC Coach of the Year six times and in 2008 became just the second-ever NCAA Division III winner of the Liberty Mutual National Coach of the Year award.

The coaching awards are not the only signs of respect his peers have for him as he has been an active member of the AFCA who has served on the board of directors and recently competed a term as AFCA president this past year.  He also lent his coaching talents to international competition in the summer of 2011 as he served as offensive coordinator for the US National Football team as they won the gold medal in the World Championships in Austria.

According to Kehres, a successful football program is built on organization and consistency.

"We have built a successful program, in part, because our coaching staff has remained intact and is committed to our system," he said. "We feel our program is well-organized. Our players know what is expected of them. They know that we believe in taking advantage of opportunities and not beating ourselves with mistakes.

"Offensively, we like to attack the defense and make them cover the whole field. Defensively, we want to create big plays. As for the kicking game, I believe in being aggressive and winning the field position battle. Being consistent in all three phases and being well-conditioned puts you in a position to win games in the fourth quarter."

Kehres is aware of the fact that his program has reached a level of excellence few teams can match.

"We're proud of what our teams have accomplished," he noted. It's a compliment to all the coaches and players who have been part of our program and have contributed in the success at Mount Union. It's very difficult to reach the top, but even more difficult to maintain excellence."

Kehres grew up just a few minutes north of Mount Union's campus in Diamond, Ohio, graduated from Southeast High School. He came to Mount Union and played quarterback on the football team and earned a business administration degree in 1971.

He served as a graduate assistant coach at Bowling Green State University in 1971-72, earning a master's degree in health and physical education. In 1973, Kehres got his first head coaching job as the football coach at Johnstown Monroe High School in Johnstown, Ohio.

He returned to Mount Union the following year, spending the next 11 seasons as an assistant coach, serving mainly as the offensive coordinator before taking over as head coach prior to the 1986 season.

His successes have not been limited to the football field.  He started and coached the Mount Union swim program from 1974-86.  In 1985 he was named director of athletics and in 1991, Mount Union became the first institution in the history of the OAC to claim both men's and women's all-sport trophies in the same season. 

As director of athletics, he has overseen and aided in the expansion of varsity sports -- currently at 23, increases in the athletics staff and an aggressive plan to enhance and create some of NCAA Division III top facilities including the $17-million expansion and renovation of the Timken Physical Education Building and Peterson Field House.

Kehres is also an associate professor of physical education and values what his students have accomplished in the classroom as well as the football field.  In his time as head coach, Mount Union has had 17 Academic All-Americans, two national finalists for the Draddy Trophy otherwise known as the Academic Heisman.  In 2008 quarterback Greg Micheli was named Academic All-American of the Year and a recipient of the NCAA Top VIII Award given to the top student-athletes in the nation and in 2009 punter Jay Carpenter became NCAA Division III football's first winner of the NCAA Elite 88 Award given for academic excellence in championship competition.

He and his wife, Linda, have three grown children, Vince, Faith and Jan. They reside in Alliance.

Mount Union Current Head Coaching Notes

·         Overall Record: 317-25-3/.924

·         OAC Record: 219-8-3

·         Overall Home Record: 180-9-3

·         Overall Road Record: 127-10-0

·         Neutral Site: 10-5

·         Playoff Record: 73-13

·         205 All-OAC First Team selections

·         250 All-American selections

·         5 winners of the Gagliardi Trophy given to the top all-around football player in NCAA Division III

Primary Recruiting Area: Northeast Ohio, Central Ohio, Cincinnati

Vince Kehres enters his 13th year as an assistant football coach and eighth season as Mount Union's defensive coordinator.  His unit has constantly ranked statistically among the top of all of NCAA Division III and in 2010 they led were No. 2 in total defense, No. 2 in scoring defense and No. 1 in pass efficiency defense.

A 1998 graduate of Mount Union, he was a four-year letterwinner (1994-97) at defensive end for the Purple Raiders, a member of two National Championship teams (1996 & 1997) and earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors during his senior year 1997.

During his playing career, Kehres totaled 62 hits and 12 tackles for loss, and he was a key member of the special teams unit. He was part of a 1997 defense that led all of Division III in fewest points allowed (5.6 ppg) and rushing defense (48.6 ypg) while posting five shutouts and setting a Raider single-season mark for sacks in a season (53 in 10 regular season games).

He and his wife, Lindsay, have two sons, Evan and Bo.

Primary Recruiting Area: Akron, Canton (Stark County), Mansfield, Wayne County, Tuscawaras County, Portage County, Transfer Coordinator

Jeff Wojtowicz (wo-TOE-vich) enters his 27th year as an assistant coach on the Raider staff and is in charge of the secondary.  

A 1984 Mount Union graduate, he was a three-year letterwinner as a defensive back from 1981-83, earning All-OAC honorable mention honors his senior year as team co-captain.

In 2001, Wojtowicz earned the National Football Foundation’s Northeastern Ohio Assistant Coach of the Year Award. In 2004, he was named the OAC Co-Assistant Coach of the Year as voted on by the conference’s head coaches. In 2006, Wojtowicz was honored by being named the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Prior to returning to Alliance in 1986, Wojtowicz served as a graduate assistant in the physical education department at Indiana State University in 1984 and as an assistant coach at Wittenberg University in 1985. 

Aside from his duties on the gridiron, Wojtowicz serves as the athletic department compliance coordiator and is in his 17th year coaching the Mount Union men’s and women’s tennis programs.

Primary Recruiting Area: Toledo, Northwest Ohio, Northeast Ohio

Geoff Dartt is in his first season as an assitant football coach at Mount Union.  He will work with the offensive lineman.

Dartt spent the last four seasons as an assistant football coach at Wheaton (Ill.) College.  At Wheaton, he worked two years with offensive tackles and tight ends then the last two years as offensive line coach.  He also coordinated video operations, was junior varsity offensive coordinator and assistant strength coach.

A native of Port Clinton, Ohio, Dartt was a three-year letterwinner as an offensive lineman at Mount Union.  He was part of three national championship teams (2002, 2005, 2006) and was an All-OAC selection in 2007.  He graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in health and physcial education.

Primary Recruiting Area: Akron, Northeast Ohio, Dayton, Columbus

Daryl Ely is in his fourth season as an assistant coach at Mount Union and will work both the safeties and defensive backs. 

Ely was a three-year letterwinner and one of the team captains in 2008 for Mount Union.  A two-time All-OAC and All-American defensive back, Ely earned the 2008 Lee Tressel Award as the top defensive back in the OAC

He graduated from Mount Union with a degree in sport business.

Primary Recruiting Area: Youngstown, Cincinnati, Dayton, Western Pennsylvania

Luke Summers is in his fourth year as an assistant football coach and will work with the offensive line. 

Summers played in 43 games for the Purple Raiders and was part of the 2006 and 2008 National Championship teams.  As a senior in 2008, he earned All-OAC First Team and D3Football.com All-American honors. 

He graduated from Mount Union with a degree in business administration.

Primary Recruiting Area: Northeast Ohio, Columbus

Matt Williamson is in his second season as an assistant coach at Mount Union and will work with the defensive line.

Williamson played in 53 games for Mount Union and was a two-time All-OAC First Team defensive lineman. In 2008 and 2009, he started all 30 games and was a two-time All-OAC First Team and two-time D3Football.com All-American selection.

The Columbus, Ohio, native graduated from Mount Union in 2010.

Primary Recruiting Area: Southeast Ohio, Northeast Ohio, Pittsburgh, West Virginia

Landon Herzick is in his first year as an assistant football coach at Mount Union.

Herzick was a linebacker and three-year letterman that played in 41 total games from 2008-10.  He was a member of the 2008 National Championship team and graduated from Mount Union with a degree in Exercise Science.

Primary Recruiting Area: Northeast Ohio, Central Ohio, Cincinnati

Clantz Liggett is in his second season as an assistant coach at Mount Union and will work with the defensive line.

Liggett was a three-year letterman that played in 40 games on the defensive line from 2007 to 2009 and a part of the 2008 National Championship team.

He is a native of Uhrichsville, Ohio.

Keith Wakefield enters his seventh season on the Mount Union staff and will coach the linebackers.

Prior to joining the Raiders, Wakefield spent two years (2004 and 2005) as head coach at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School.  Before that he had a highly successful stint as head coach at Massillon Perry High School (1982-2003) where his teams compiled a 157-72 record, 12 Federal League titles and reached the Ohio Division I State semifinals in 2000.  Wakefield also had head coaching stops at Mansfield Madison and Austintown Fitch high schools.

Paul Gulling is in his fifth season in his second stint on the Mount Union coaching staff and will work with the wide receivers. 

Gulling, a 1980 Mount Union graduate, has a total of eight years on the staff after he served six years as assistant coach with the Raiders from 1997-2002.  As a player, he was a three-time All-OAC first team pick and an 1979 AP All-American who ranks among the school receiving leaders with 130 receptions.  Gulling signed a professional contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and was inducted into the Mount Union M-Club Hall of Fame in 1998.

Ed Hogya returns for a third season as an assistant football coach and will work with the tight ends. 

Hogya has served two previous stints on the Mount Union football staff and was a three-year letterwinner for the Raiders from 1986-88.  As a senior in 1988, he was an All-OAC First Team receiver.