See how Mount Union (Ohio) football coach Larry Kehres created a coaching pipeline to all levels

By Brent Glasgow | Posted 6/28/2018

The NCAA Division III powerhouse built by College Football Hall of Fame inductee Larry Kehres has produced 13 national championships and a slew of football coaches. (Photo via Roanoke Times)

It should be no surprise that with 13 NCAA Division III national titles and an all-time record 55-game winning streak (2000-2003), the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, has produced a growing number of football coaches.

As ESPN's Adam Rittenberg points out in his examination of how a non-scholarship program morphed into one with a 200-man roster and packed trophy case, very few alumni could play beyond D3 football, but many wanted to stay in the game. So, they coached.

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Most of it traces back to 11-time national champion coach Larry Kehres, who had a 332-24-3 record from 1986-2012. Kehres – a Mount Union assistant from 1974-85, and head swim coach for 13 years – could've left for bigger jobs, but admitted to Rittenberg that he stayed partially due to his fear of failure.

"If he would have left, it would have been different," said Washington & Jefferson College (Pennsylvania) head coach Mike Sirianni. "There's a lot of people owing him for staying at Mount Union his whole career."

Nine coaches with Mount Union ties have joined host Keith Grabowski on USA Football's Coach and Coordinator podcast. Click on each name to hear how their careers developed and continue to evolve:

Jason Candle, head coach, Toledo University

Jim Ballard, founder, Jim Ballard Quarterback Academy

Mike Sirianni, head coach, Washington & Jefferson College

Dean Paul, head coach, Ohio Northern University

Chris Kappas, offensive coordinator, Mount Union

Geoff Dart, offensive line coach, Western Kentucky University

Brian Flinn, wide receivers coach, Villanova University

Mike Elder, head coach, Avon (Ohio) High School

Matt Kostelnik, head coach, Avon Lake (Ohio) High School

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