FORMER MOUNT UNION HEAD COACH LARRY KEHRES TO RECEIVE 2024 AFCA AMOS ALONZO STAGG AWARD
October 17, 2023
Former University of Mount Union head coach and 2010 AFCA President Larry Kehres will receive the AFCA’s 2024 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award is given to those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests in football,” and will be presented during the 2024 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
Growing up right down the road from Mount Union, Kehres wound up playing quarterback for the Purple Raiders. He graduated from Mount Union in 1971, and then went on to get his master’s degree in health and physical education at Bowling Green State University. It was at Bowling Green where Kehres began his coaching career as a graduate assistant football coach. From there he landed his first head coaching job at Johnstown Monroe High School in Johnstown, Ohio.
In 1974, Kehres returned to his alma mater as offensive coordinator and there is where he spent the entirety of his career. He served as the offensive coordinator from 1974-85, then took over as head coach from 1986-2013. Kehres was also the athletic director from 1985 until 2020. He returned to coaching in 2023 as the quarterbacks coach at Mount Union.
In 27 seasons as the Purple Raiders’ head coach, Kehres had a remarkable overall record of 332-24-3. He is one of only 10 coaches in the history of college football to win at least 300 games. His .929 winning percentage is the highest in college football history. Throughout those 27 years, he guided Mount Union to 21 undefeated regular seasons and 11 NCAA Division III National Championships. Kehres’ teams won a total of 23 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles, and they set an NCAA record for most consecutive victories with 55 between the 2000 and 2003 seasons.
Kehres won nine AFCA Division III National Coach of the Year honors and 17 Regional Coach of the Year awards, both records for the association. He was also named OAC Coach of the Year 6 times, and in 2017, in his first year of eligibility, Kehres was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kehres was an active member of the AFCA. He was elected to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2001 and served as president in 2010. Kehres also served on several AFCA committees. He was chairman of the AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team Selection Committee, Nominating Committee, Hall of Fame Committee, and Stagg Award Committee, to name a few.
Not only did Kehres impact the football program while at Mount Union, but he also impacted other sports as well. He started and coached the swim team 1974-86. During his time as athletic director, Mount Union became the first school in the history of the OAC to win both men’s and women’s all-sport trophies in the same season in 1991. Mount Union repeated that feat in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Kehres oversaw the expansion of varsity sports at Mount Union, which currently stands at 24, and increased the athletics staff.
Kehres and his wife Linda have three children, Vince, Faith, and Jan, and eight grandchildren. They reside in Alliance, Ohio.
The Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is given to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.” Its purpose is “to perpetuate the example and influence of Amos Alonzo Stagg.”
The award is named in honor of a man who was instrumental in founding the AFCA in the 1920s. He is considered one of the great innovators and motivating forces in the early development of the game of football. The plaque given to each recipient is a replica of the one given to Stagg at the 1939 AFCA Convention in tribute to his 50 years of service to football.
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg began his coaching career at the School of Christian Workers, now Springfield (Mass.) College, after graduating from Yale University in 1888.
Stagg also served as head coach at Chicago (1892-1932) and College of the Pacific (1933-1946). His 41 seasons at Chicago is one of the longest head coaching tenures in the history of the college game.
Among the innovations credited to Stagg are the tackling dummy, the huddle, the reverse play, man in motion, knit pants, numbering plays and players, and the awarding of letters.
A long-time AFCA member, Stagg was the Association’s 1943 Coach of the Year.
According to NCAA records, Stagg’s 57-year record as a college head coach is 314-199-35. He was 84 years old when he ended his coaching career at Pacific in 1946. He died in 1965 at the age of 103.
Past Amos Alonzo Stagg Award Winners:
1940 Donald Herring, Jr., (Princeton player) and family 1983 Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama
1941 William H. Cowell (posthumously), New Hampshire 1984 Charles B. “Bud” Wilkinson, Oklahoma
1946 Grantland Rice, sportswriter 1985 Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State
1947 William A. Alexander, Georgia Tech 1986 Woody Hayes, Denison, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State
1948 Gilmour Dobie, North Dakota State, Washington, Navy, Cornell, Boston College 1987 Field Scovell, Cotton Bowl
Glenn S. “Pop” Warner, Georgia, Cornell, Carlisle, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Temple 1988 G. Herbert McCracken, Allegheny, Lafayette
Robert C. Zuppke, Illinois 1989 David Nelson, Delaware
1949 Richard C. Harlow, Penn State, Colgate, Western Maryland, Harvard 1990 Len Casanova, Oregon
1950 No award given 1991 Bob Blackman, Denver, Dartmouth, Illinois, Cornell
1951 DeOrmond “Tuss” McLaughry, Westminster, Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth 1992 Charles McClendon, LSU
1952 A.N. “Bo” McMillin, Indiana 1993 Keith Jackson, ABC-TV
1953 Lou Little, Georgetown, Columbia 1994 Bob Devaney, Nebraska, Wyoming
1954 Dana X. Bible, Mississippi College, LSU, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Texas 1995 John Merritt, Jackson State, Tennessee State
1955 Joseph J. Tomlin, founder, Pop Warner Football 1996 Chuck Neinas, College Football Association
1956 No award given 1997 Ara Parseghian, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Notre Dame
1957 Gen. Robert R. Neyland, Tennessee 1998 Bob Reade, Augustana (Ill.)
1958 Bernie Bierman, Mississippi A&M, Tulane, Minnesota 1999 Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan
1959 Dr. John W. Wilce, Ohio State 2000 Tom Osborne, Nebraska
1960 Harvey J. Harman, Haverford, University of the South, Pennsylvania, Rutgers 2001 Vince Dooley, Georgia
1961 Ray Eliot, Illinois 2002 Joe Paterno, Penn State
1962 E.E. “Tad” Wieman, Michigan, Princeton, Maine 2003 LaVell Edwards, Brigham Young
1963 Andrew Kerr, Stanford, Washington & Jefferson, Colgate, Lebanon Valley 2004 Ron Schipper, Central (Iowa)
1964 Don Faurot, Missouri 2005 Hayden Fry, North Texas, SMU, Iowa
1965 Harry Stuhldreher, Wisconsin 2006 Grant Teaff, McMurry, Angelo State, Baylor
1966 Bernie H. Moore, LSU 2007 Bill Curry, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky
1967 Jess Neely, Southwestern, Clemson, Rice 2008 Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ers, Stanford
1968 Abe Martin, TCU 2009 John Gagliardi, Carroll (Mont.), St. John’s (Minn.)
1969 Charles A. “Rip” Engle, Brown, Penn State 2010 Darrell Royal, Mississippi State, Washington, Texas
1970 Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf, Syracuse, Oklahoma City, Kansas, Oklahoma A&M, Kansas State, Northwestern, California 2011 Bobby Bowden, Samford, West Virginia, Florida State
1971 Bill Murray, Delaware, Duke 2012 Fisher DeBerry, Air Force
1972 Jack Curtice, Stanford 2013 Frosty Westering, Parsons, Lea College, Pacific Lutheran
1973 Lloyd Jordan, Amherst, Harvard 2014 R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M
1974 Alonzo S. “Jake” Gaither, Florida A&M 2015 Ken Hatfield, Air Force, Arkansas, Clemson, Rice
1975 Gerald B. Zornow, business executive 2016 John Cooper, Tulsa, Arizona State, Ohio State
1976 No award given 2017 Don Nehlen, Bowling Green, West Virginia
1977 Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder, Muhlenberg, Syracuse 2018 Frank Broyles, Missouri, Arkansas
1978 Tom Hamilton, Navy, Pittsburgh 2019 Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills
1979 H.O. “Fritz” Crisler, Minnesota, Princeton, Michigan 2020 Dick Tomey, Arizona, Hawaii, San Jose State
1980 No award given 2022 Mel Tjeerdsma, Austin College, Northwest Missouri State
1981 Fred Russell, sportswriter 2023 Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky
1982 Eddie Robinson, Grambling 2024 Larry Kehres, Mount Union
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Former University of Mount Union head coach and 2010 AFCA President Larry Kehres will receive the AFCA’s 2024 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award. The award is given to those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests in football,” and will be presented during the 2024 AFCA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.
Growing up right down the road from Mount Union, Kehres wound up playing quarterback for the Purple Raiders. He graduated from Mount Union in 1971, and then went on to get his master’s degree in health and physical education at Bowling Green State University. It was at Bowling Green where Kehres began his coaching career as a graduate assistant football coach. From there he landed his first head coaching job at Johnstown Monroe High School in Johnstown, Ohio.
In 1974, Kehres returned to his alma mater as offensive coordinator and there is where he spent the entirety of his career. He served as the offensive coordinator from 1974-85, then took over as head coach from 1986-2013. Kehres was also the athletic director from 1985 until 2020. He returned to coaching in 2023 as the quarterbacks coach at Mount Union.
In 27 seasons as the Purple Raiders’ head coach, Kehres had a remarkable overall record of 332-24-3. He is one of only 10 coaches in the history of college football to win at least 300 games. His .929 winning percentage is the highest in college football history. Throughout those 27 years, he guided Mount Union to 21 undefeated regular seasons and 11 NCAA Division III National Championships. Kehres’ teams won a total of 23 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) titles, and they set an NCAA record for most consecutive victories with 55 between the 2000 and 2003 seasons.
Kehres won nine AFCA Division III National Coach of the Year honors and 17 Regional Coach of the Year awards, both records for the association. He was also named OAC Coach of the Year 6 times, and in 2017, in his first year of eligibility, Kehres was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kehres was an active member of the AFCA. He was elected to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2001 and served as president in 2010. Kehres also served on several AFCA committees. He was chairman of the AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team Selection Committee, Nominating Committee, Hall of Fame Committee, and Stagg Award Committee, to name a few.
Not only did Kehres impact the football program while at Mount Union, but he also impacted other sports as well. He started and coached the swim team 1974-86. During his time as athletic director, Mount Union became the first school in the history of the OAC to win both men’s and women’s all-sport trophies in the same season in 1991. Mount Union repeated that feat in 2012-13 and 2013-14. Kehres oversaw the expansion of varsity sports at Mount Union, which currently stands at 24, and increased the athletics staff.
Kehres and his wife Linda have three children, Vince, Faith, and Jan, and eight grandchildren. They reside in Alliance, Ohio.
The Award
The Amos Alonzo Stagg Award is given to the “individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football.” Its purpose is “to perpetuate the example and influence of Amos Alonzo Stagg.”
The award is named in honor of a man who was instrumental in founding the AFCA in the 1920s. He is considered one of the great innovators and motivating forces in the early development of the game of football. The plaque given to each recipient is a replica of the one given to Stagg at the 1939 AFCA Convention in tribute to his 50 years of service to football.
Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg began his coaching career at the School of Christian Workers, now Springfield (Mass.) College, after graduating from Yale University in 1888.
Stagg also served as head coach at Chicago (1892-1932) and College of the Pacific (1933-1946). His 41 seasons at Chicago is one of the longest head coaching tenures in the history of the college game.
Among the innovations credited to Stagg are the tackling dummy, the huddle, the reverse play, man in motion, knit pants, numbering plays and players, and the awarding of letters.
A long-time AFCA member, Stagg was the Association’s 1943 Coach of the Year.
According to NCAA records, Stagg’s 57-year record as a college head coach is 314-199-35. He was 84 years old when he ended his coaching career at Pacific in 1946. He died in 1965 at the age of 103.
| Past Amos Alonzo Stagg Award Winners: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Donald Herring, Jr., (Princeton player) and family | 1983 | Paul W. “Bear” Bryant, Maryland, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Alabama |
| 1941 | William H. Cowell (posthumously), New Hampshire | 1984 | Charles B. “Bud” Wilkinson, Oklahoma |
| 1946 | Grantland Rice, sportswriter | 1985 | Duffy Daugherty, Michigan State |
| 1947 | William A. Alexander, Georgia Tech | 1986 | Woody Hayes, Denison, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State |
| 1948 | Gilmour Dobie, North Dakota State, Washington, Navy, Cornell, Boston College | 1987 | Field Scovell, Cotton Bowl |
| Glenn S. “Pop” Warner, Georgia, Cornell, Carlisle, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Temple | 1988 | G. Herbert McCracken, Allegheny, Lafayette | |
| Robert C. Zuppke, Illinois | 1989 | David Nelson, Delaware | |
| 1949 | Richard C. Harlow, Penn State, Colgate, Western Maryland, Harvard | 1990 | Len Casanova, Oregon |
| 1950 | No award given | 1991 | Bob Blackman, Denver, Dartmouth, Illinois, Cornell |
| 1951 | DeOrmond “Tuss” McLaughry, Westminster, Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth | 1992 | Charles McClendon, LSU |
| 1952 | A.N. “Bo” McMillin, Indiana | 1993 | Keith Jackson, ABC-TV |
| 1953 | Lou Little, Georgetown, Columbia | 1994 | Bob Devaney, Nebraska, Wyoming |
| 1954 | Dana X. Bible, Mississippi College, LSU, Texas A&M, Nebraska, Texas | 1995 | John Merritt, Jackson State, Tennessee State |
| 1955 | Joseph J. Tomlin, founder, Pop Warner Football | 1996 | Chuck Neinas, College Football Association |
| 1956 | No award given | 1997 | Ara Parseghian, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Notre Dame |
| 1957 | Gen. Robert R. Neyland, Tennessee | 1998 | Bob Reade, Augustana (Ill.) |
| 1958 | Bernie Bierman, Mississippi A&M, Tulane, Minnesota | 1999 | Bo Schembechler, Miami (Ohio), Michigan |
| 1959 | Dr. John W. Wilce, Ohio State | 2000 | Tom Osborne, Nebraska |
| 1960 | Harvey J. Harman, Haverford, University of the South, Pennsylvania, Rutgers | 2001 | Vince Dooley, Georgia |
| 1961 | Ray Eliot, Illinois | 2002 | Joe Paterno, Penn State |
| 1962 | E.E. “Tad” Wieman, Michigan, Princeton, Maine | 2003 | LaVell Edwards, Brigham Young |
| 1963 | Andrew Kerr, Stanford, Washington & Jefferson, Colgate, Lebanon Valley | 2004 | Ron Schipper, Central (Iowa) |
| 1964 | Don Faurot, Missouri | 2005 | Hayden Fry, North Texas, SMU, Iowa |
| 1965 | Harry Stuhldreher, Wisconsin | 2006 | Grant Teaff, McMurry, Angelo State, Baylor |
| 1966 | Bernie H. Moore, LSU | 2007 | Bill Curry, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Kentucky |
| 1967 | Jess Neely, Southwestern, Clemson, Rice | 2008 | Bill Walsh, San Francisco 49ers, Stanford |
| 1968 | Abe Martin, TCU | 2009 | John Gagliardi, Carroll (Mont.), St. John’s (Minn.) |
| 1969 | Charles A. “Rip” Engle, Brown, Penn State | 2010 | Darrell Royal, Mississippi State, Washington, Texas |
| 1970 | Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf, Syracuse, Oklahoma City, Kansas, Oklahoma A&M, Kansas State, Northwestern, California | 2011 | Bobby Bowden, Samford, West Virginia, Florida State |
| 1971 | Bill Murray, Delaware, Duke | 2012 | Fisher DeBerry, Air Force |
| 1972 | Jack Curtice, Stanford | 2013 | Frosty Westering, Parsons, Lea College, Pacific Lutheran |
| 1973 | Lloyd Jordan, Amherst, Harvard | 2014 | R.C. Slocum, Texas A&M |
| 1974 | Alonzo S. “Jake” Gaither, Florida A&M | 2015 | Ken Hatfield, Air Force, Arkansas, Clemson, Rice |
| 1975 | Gerald B. Zornow, business executive | 2016 | John Cooper, Tulsa, Arizona State, Ohio State |
| 1976 | No award given | 2017 | Don Nehlen, Bowling Green, West Virginia |
| 1977 | Floyd “Ben” Schwartzwalder, Muhlenberg, Syracuse | 2018 | Frank Broyles, Missouri, Arkansas |
| 1978 | Tom Hamilton, Navy, Pittsburgh | 2019 | Marv Levy, Buffalo Bills |
| 1979 | H.O. “Fritz” Crisler, Minnesota, Princeton, Michigan | 2020 | Dick Tomey, Arizona, Hawaii, San Jose State |
| 1980 | No award given | 2022 | Mel Tjeerdsma, Austin College, Northwest Missouri State |
| 1981 | Fred Russell, sportswriter | 2023 | Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky |
| 1982 | Eddie Robinson, Grambling | 2024 | Larry Kehres, Mount Union |
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
