ALLIANCE, Ohio—The University of Mount Union announced the hiring of Rick Hairston '85 as the first head coach of its new varsity women's flag football program. A decorated athlete, Hall of Fame inductee, and veteran educator and coach with over 30 years of coaching experience, Hairston brings a championship pedigree back to his alma mater to lead this historic expansion of Purple Raiders Athletics.

"First and foremost, I truly feel blessed that I was chosen to oversee all aspects of the creation of flag football at the University of Mount Union," Hairston said. "I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to give something back to the university that has helped shape me and mold me as a student-athlete at Mount Union. Everything that I learned here helped me become the coach and the person that I am. I really feel honored that I get the chance to give a little bit back. I look forward to leading the program and making sure that we get it done the right way."

A four-year letterman in both football and track for the Purple Raiders, Hairston is a member of the Mount Union M Club Hall of Fame. During his collegiate career, he was a key member of the 1983 NCAA Division III National Championship 400-meter relay team and earned seven All-American honors in track. On the football field, he was two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) and a 1983 AP Division III All-American as a wide receiver.

"We are excited to have Rick Hairston return to Mount Union to lead our new women's flag football team," said Director of Athletics Mike Parnell. "His history of winning at the national level as a Purple Raider, combined with his three decades of leadership as a head coach in multiple sports, makes him the perfect choice to build this program from the ground up."

Hairston's coaching resume includes significant leadership and coaching roles in high-profile programs across Northeast Ohio:

• Track & Field: Served as the head coach for the Canton McKinley Boys Track Team (1990–2000), leading them to a Division I State Championship in 1997, five District titles, and a Regional championship.
• Basketball: Held head coaching positions at Canton Timken (2000–2015) and Canton McKinley (2016–2018). His accolades include being named the 2008 AP Boys Division I Coach of the Year and leading teams to seven league titles and three district championships.
• Football: Has extensive experience as a varsity assistant and head freshman coach within the Alliance and Canton City school districts.

Hairston added, "What I learned here from Larry Kehres, Ken Wable, and John Homon is that you get to really shape the lives of young people, and I really feel like I've acquired that skill from those guys. You get the opportunity to help young people get where they need to go in life, and I know if it hadn't been for that opportunity that I had here under those guys, I wouldn't be who I am today. This really is a full circle moment for me because now I get to come back and help student-athletes the same way that those guys helped me."

Mount Union announced the addition of varsity women's flag football as its 26th intercollegiate sport, beginning in the spring of 2027. The University's addition of flag football builds off its established tradition as one of the most decorated football programs in Division III.

For more information about the upcoming Women's Flag Football season or to learn more about the program, visit athletics.mountunion.edu/sports/wflag.