Don Nehlen
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. | January 1, 1936
Playing career | |
1955–1957 | Bowling Green |
Position(s) | Quarterback |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1963 | Cincinnati (assistant) |
1967 | Bowling Green (assistant) |
1968–1976 | Bowling Green |
1977–1979 | Michigan (QB) |
1980–2000 | West Virginia |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 202–128–8 |
Bowls | 4–9 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
1 Big East Coach of Year (1993) (2017)Amos Alonzo Stagg Award | |
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2005 (profile) |
Donald Eugene Nehlen (born January 1, 1936) is a former American football player and coach. He was head football coach at Bowling Green State University (1968–1976[1]) and at West Virginia University (1980–2000). Nehlen retired from coaching college football in 2001 with a career record of 202–128–8 and as the 17th winningest coach in college football history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and has served as a president of the American Football Coaches Association.
Nehlen was a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln High School (Canton, Ohio) where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball.
Nehlen played quarterback at Bowling Green (1955–1957) and led the team to a Mid-American Conference championship in 1956. He began his coaching career in 1958 at Mansfield Senior High School and then served as head coach at Canton South High School and Canton McKinley High School. Nehlen was later an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, and the University of Michigan.
Since his retirement from coaching, Nehlen has been a spokesman for the
In 2017 the AFCA presented Nehlen the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, given to the "individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football."[3]
At West Virginia
Nehlen served as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Michigan under
Nehlen first hired Gary Tranquill as the offensive coach. In an effort to emulate the Michigan defense, Nehlen hired Dennis Brown away from the Wolverines. Nehlen hired a number of coaches he worked with at Bowling Green. Nehlen also retained Donnie Young, Cignetti's former assistant head coach, as his recruiting coach. Tranquill left West Virginia after three seasons to become head coach at Navy, taking graduate assistant Steve Dunlap with him. Dunlap later returned to serve as West Virginia's defensive coach. One of Nehlen's most famed assistants was Doc Holliday, who served the assistant head coach and recruiting coach for almost 20 years before leaving for North Carolina State University. Holliday was sent to Florida every year to find recruits and found many talented players there, including linebacker Steve Grant. When Nehlen arrived at West Virginia, he introduced the Mountaineers' first "home and away uniforms" and a new helmet logo, "The Flying WV," which became the official logo of West Virginia athletics and, eventually, the university itself.
In 1980, Nehlen's first season at West Virginia, the Mountaineers went 6–6. In 1981, led by quarterback and future WVU athletic director Oliver Luck, West Virginia went 9–3 and upset the Florida Gators in the Peach Bowl, 26–6. In 1982, led by quarterback Jeff Hostetler (who ended up marrying Nehlen's daughter, Vicky), West Virginia started the season with an upset over the #9 Oklahoma Sooners. In 1984, Nehlen's squad posted wins against Boston College, led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner, Doug Flutie, and over Penn State for the Mountaineers' first defeat of the Nittany Lions since 1955.
The 1987 season marked the beginning of the
In 1993, Nehlen led West Virginia to another undefeated regular season and a Big East Conference title, but the Florida Gators exacted revenge in the Sugar Bowl, winning 41–7. Nehlen's 1994 team started the season with a 1–4 record, but rebounded to qualify for the Carquest Bowl, where they lost to South Carolina, 24–21.
In 1998, West Virginia featured a number of future National Football League (NFL) players including Marc Bulger, Amos Zereoué, Anthony Becht, Gary Stills, Barrett Green, Solomon Page and John Thornton, to form a strong nucleus on a team that lacked depth on defense. The Mountaineers opened the season with a home loss to Ohio State, but finished the season with an 8–4 record, losing in the Insight Bowl to Missouri, 34–31.
Following a loss to
Nehlen completed his tenure at West Virginia with a record of 149–93–4. His 149 victories are the most in school history. With the Mountaineers, Nehlen coached 15 first team
Head coaching record
Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bowling Green Falcons (Mid-American Conference) (1966–1976) | |||||||||
1968 | Bowling Green | 6–3–1 | 3–2–1 | T–3rd | |||||
1969 | Bowling Green | 6–4 | 4–2 | 2nd | |||||
1970 | Bowling Green | 2–6–1 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
1971 | Bowling Green | 6–4 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
1972 | Bowling Green | 6–3–1 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
1973 | Bowling Green | 7–3 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
1974 | Bowling Green | 6–4–1 | 2–3 | T–4th | |||||
1975 | Bowling Green | 8–3 | 4–2 | T–3rd | |||||
1976 | Bowling Green | 6–5 | 4–3 | T–5th | |||||
Bowling Green: | 53–35–4 | 27–21–2 | |||||||
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA Division I-A independent) (1980–1990) | |||||||||
1980 | West Virginia | 6–6 | |||||||
1981 | West Virginia | 9–3 | W Peach | 18 | 17 | ||||
1982 | West Virginia | 9–3 | L Gator | 19 | 19 | ||||
1983 | West Virginia | 9–3 | W Hall of Fame Classic | 16 | 16 | ||||
1984 | West Virginia | 8–4 | W Astro-Bluebonnet | 18 | |||||
1985 | West Virginia | 7–3–1 | |||||||
1986 | West Virginia | 4–7 | |||||||
1987 | West Virginia | 6–6 | L Sun | ||||||
1988 | West Virginia | 11–1 | L Fiesta | 5 | 5 | ||||
1989 | West Virginia | 8–3–1 | L Gator | 21 | |||||
1990 | West Virginia | 4–7 | |||||||
West Virginia Mountaineers (Big East Conference) (1991–2000) | |||||||||
1991 | West Virginia | 6–5 | 3–4 | 4th | |||||
1992 | West Virginia | 5–4–2 | 2–3–1 | 5th | |||||
1993 | West Virginia | 11–1 | 7–0 | 1st | L Sugar† | 6 | 7 | ||
1994 | West Virginia | 7–6 | 4–3 | T–3rd | L Carquest | ||||
1995 | West Virginia | 5–6 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
1996 | West Virginia | 8–4 | 4–3 | 4th | L Gator | ||||
1997 | West Virginia | 7–5 | 4–3 | T–3rd | L Carquest | ||||
1998 | West Virginia | 8–4 | 5–2 | T–2nd | L Insight.com | ||||
1999 | West Virginia | 4–7 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
2000 | West Virginia | 7–5 | 3–4 | T–5th | W Music City | ||||
West Virginia: | 149–93–4 | 39–29–1 | |||||||
Total: | 202–128–8 | ||||||||
National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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See also
- List of college football coaches with 200 wins
- List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association
- Legends Poll
References
- ^ "Bowling Green Coach Quits". The New York Times. 24 November 1976. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Don Nehlen at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ "Nehlen Presented AFCA's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award". West Virginia University Athletics. 2017-01-10. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
External links
- Don Nehlen at the College Football Hall of Fame
- The West Virginia & Regional History Center at West Virginia University houses the papers of Don Nehlen within the Distinguished West Virginians Archive