Former Flashes Among The Coaching Ranks

On May 1, 2007, it was announced that former Kent State linebacker Lou Holtz was one of 15 former players and coaches that were elected to the 2009 class of the College Football Hall of Fame. The honor brought to light a rich tradition of superb college coaches that can trace their roots to the campus of Kent State University.

Holtz, who currently serves as a college football analyst for ESPN, led six schools to 249 victories over his 30-year head coaching career, highlighted by a national title at Notre Dame in 1988. He is the only coach in the history of college football to take five different teams to a bowl game.

Holtz joined former Golden Flashes head coach Don James in the College Football Hall of Fame. James was inducted in 1998 after compiling 178 victories in 22 seasons as a head coach — first at KSU (1971-74) and then at Washington (1975-92). In 1972, he led the Flashes to the only Mid-American Conference championship in school history and a berth in the Tangerine Bowl. He then went on to lead the Huskies to the 1991 national title after compiling a perfect 12-0 record.

Impressively, two players from James’ 1972 squad have gone on to find great coaching success of their own. Current Alabama head coach Nick Saban (defensive back, 1970-72) won the 2009 national title with the Crimson Tide and a national championship with LSU in 2003, while Gary Pinkel (tight end, 1971-73) directed Missouri to a school-record 12 victories in 2007, finishing the season fourth in the final Associated Press poll after being ranked No. 1 earlier in the year.

In addition, Bob Stoops — who led Oklahoma to the 2000 national title — got his full-time coaching start as an assistant at Kent State in 1988.

(Amazingly enough, the Oct. 5, 2008 Associated Press poll featured Oklahoma, Alabama and Missouri as the top three teams in the country.)

The list also includes former head coach Glen Mason (1986-87), who went on to find success at Minnesota, and Dean Pees (head coach, 1998-03) and Dom Capers (graduate assistant, 1972-74) who are with the Baltimore Ravens (linebackers coach) and Green Bay Packers (defensive coordinator), respectively.