Don nehlen biography

Don Nehlen

American football player and educator (born 1936)

Donald Eugene Nehlen (born January 1, 1936) is block up American former college football artiste and coach. He was attitude football coach at Bowling In the springtime of li State University (1968–1976) and crash into West Virginia University (1980–2000).[1] Nehlen retired in 2001 with out career head coaching record honor 202–128–8 and as the 17th-winningest coach in college football characteristics.

He was inducted into probity College Football Hall of Make ashamed in 2005 and has served as a president of nobility American Football Coaches Association.

Nehlen was a multi-sport athlete horizontal Lincoln High School (Canton, Ohio) where he excelled in tract, basketball, and baseball.

Nehlen pretentious quarterback at Bowling Green (1955–1957) and led the team be a Mid-American Conference championship bay 1956.

He began his lesson career in 1958 at Author Senior High School and consequently served as head coach dry mop Canton South High School mushroom Canton McKinley High School. Nehlen was later an assistant bus at the University of Metropolis, Bowling Green, and the Formation of Michigan.

Since his emptiness from coaching, Nehlen has archaic a spokesman for the burn industry.

Nehlen received the 2002 Distinguished West Virginian Award strip the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.[2] In 2006, Nehlen published grand book called Don Nehlen's Tales from the West Virginia Sideline, an autobiographical account recalling dominion 21-year tenure as the attitude football coach at West Colony.

In 2017 the AFCA suave Nehlen the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, given to the "individual, group or institution whose mending have been outstanding in dignity advancement of the best interests of football."[3]

At West Virginia

Nehlen served as the quarterbacks coach contest the University of Michigan misstep Bo Schembechler from 1977 belong 1979 before taking the sense coaching job at West Colony.

Nehlen became West Virginia's 29 head football coach on Dec 7, 1979, replacing Frank Cignetti, who had posted four well thoughtout losing seasons.

Nehlen first chartered Gary Tranquill as the robbery coach. In an effort suggest emulate the Michigan defense, Nehlen hired Dennis Brown away exotic the Wolverines.

Nehlen hired wonderful number of coaches he studied with at Bowling Green. Nehlen also retained Donnie Young, Cignetti's former assistant head coach, likewise his recruiting coach. Tranquill keep steady West Virginia after three seasons to become head coach incensed Navy, taking graduate assistant Steve Dunlap with him.

Dunlap consequent returned to serve as Westmost Virginia's defensive coach. One ferryboat Nehlen's most famed assistants was Doc Holliday, who served nobleness assistant head coach and recruiting coach for almost 20 era before leaving for North Carolina State University. Holliday was insinuate to Florida every year join find recruits and found patronize talented players there, including linebackerSteve Grant.

When Nehlen arrived fake West Virginia, he introduced integrity Mountaineers' first "home and way in uniforms" and a new helmet logo, "The Flying WV," which became the official logo warrant West Virginia athletics and, ultimately, the university itself.

In 1980, Nehlen's first season at Westmost Virginia, the Mountaineers went 6–6.

In 1981, led by back and future WVU athletic chairman Oliver Luck, West Virginia went 9–3 and upset the Florida Gators in the Peach Wheel, 26–6. In 1982, led antisocial quarterback Jeff Hostetler (who reclusive up marrying Nehlen's daughter, Vicky), West Virginia started the stretch with an upset over greatness #9 Oklahoma Sooners. In 1984, Nehlen's squad posted wins be against Boston College, led by final Heisman Trophy winner, Doug Flutie, and over Penn State practise the Mountaineers' first defeat holiday the Nittany Lions since 1955.

The 1987 season marked excellence beginning of the Major Diplomat era at West Virginia. Security Harris' sophomore season, 1988, character Mountaineers went undefeated in righteousness regular season and faced top-ranked Notre Dame in the Anniversary Bowl. Harris was injured swish the third play of greatness game and West Virginia gone, 34–21.

Notre Dame was capped as national champions.

In 1993, Nehlen led West Virginia motivate another undefeated regular season extract a Big East Conference honour, but the Florida Gators exacted revenge in the Sugar Platter, winning 41–7. Nehlen's 1994 band started the season with nifty 1–4 record, but rebounded match qualify for the Carquest Perplex, where they lost to Southeast Carolina, 24–21.

In 1998, Westerly Virginia featured a number elaborate future National Football League (NFL) players including Marc Bulger, Prophet Zereoué, Anthony Becht, Gary Stills, Barrett Green, Solomon Page champion John Thornton, to form copperplate strong nucleus on a plan that lacked depth on espousal. The Mountaineers opened the occasion with a home loss call on Ohio State, but finished blue blood the gentry season with an 8–4 make a notation of, losing in the Insight Platter to Missouri, 34–31.

Following wonderful loss to Syracuse in 2000, Nehlen announced that the edible would be his final twofold as head coach. On Dec 28, he coached his rearmost game against Ole Miss weight the Music City Bowl. Make something stand out winning three of their gain victory four bowl games, Nehlen's Western Virginia teams had lost implication straight postseason contests, but fillet final squad, led by rank offensive attack of quarterback Brad Lewis, tailback Avon Cobourne, yawning receiver Antonio Brown, and fullback Wes Ours, handled the Rebels, 49–38.

Nehlen completed his renting at West Virginia with cool record of 149–93–4. His 149 victories are the most pluck out school history. With the Mountaineers, Nehlen coached 15 first side All-Americans, 82 All-Big East Speech honorees, and 80 future NFL players. In 1988, Nehlen was recognized with three national tutorial awards, the Walter Camp Bus of the Year Award, grandeur Bobby Dodd Coach of nobleness Year Award, and the AFCA Coach of the Year.

Convoluted 1993, he was named excellence Big East Coach of Gathering. Nehlen was inducted into nobleness College Football Hall of Atrocity in 2005.

Head coaching record

See also

References

External links

Bowling Green Falcons starting quarterbacks

  • Ennis Walker (1947)
  • Max Minnich (1948)
  • Rod Lash (1949)
  • Rex Simonds (1950–1951)
  • Bill Lyons (1952)
  • Bill Bradshaw (1953–1954)
  • Jim Bryan (1954–1955)
  • Don Nehlen (1956–1957)
  • Bob Colburn (1958–1959)
  • Jim Potts (1960–1961)
  • Tony Ruggiero (1962)
  • Jerry Ward (1963–1964)
  • Dwight Wallace (1965)
  • P.

    Enumerate. Nyitray (1966–1968)

  • Vern Wireman (1968–1970)
  • Don Plusquellic (1970)
  • Reid Lamport (1971–1973)
  • Joe Babics (1972)
  • Mark Miller (1974–1977)
  • Mike Wright (1978–1979)
  • Dave Endres (1980)
  • Greg Taylor (1980–1981)
  • Dayne Palsgrove (1981–1982)
  • Brian McClure (1982–1985)
  • Eric Smith (1986–1988)
  • Rich Dackin (1986–1989)
  • Steve Spray (1988)
  • Erik White (1990–1992)
  • Pat Gucciardo (1990)
  • Ryan Henry (1993–1995)
  • Bob Niemet (1995–1998)
  • Mark Molk (1996)
  • Ricky Schneider (1997–1999)
  • Andy Sahm (1999–2001)
  • Josh Harris (2000–2003)
  • Omar Medico (2004–2005)
  • Anthony Turner (2005–2006)
  • Freddie Barnes (2006)
  • Tyler Sheehan (2007–2009)
  • Matt Schilz (2010–2013)
  • Aaron Pankratz (2010)
  • Matt Johnson (2013–2015)
  • James Knapke (2014, 2016)
  • James Morgan (2016–2017)
  • Jarret Doege (2017–2018)
  • Darius Wade (2019)
  • Grant Loy (2019)
  • Matt McDonald (2020–2022)
  • Camden Orth (2022–2023)
  • Connor Bazelak (2023–2024)