During the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons, McPeek was the assistant principal and offensive coordinator at Boyd County High School. 0 views, 0 likes, 0 loves, 0 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from WBON TV: 2023 Suits For Seniors Live event | EKU Football Event. Our main focus is Coach Wells and his health, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. Furthermore, any student-athlete reporting to campus for activity for the first time in August has been, and will continue to be, required to receive a negative test result prior to their return. It was important for him to see Wells as soon as he could, and he was there on the day Wells woke up in the hospital. And, to the surprise of both him and Jen, doctors didnt prescribe many restrictions beyond not lifting heavy objects and a caution about overexerting himself. As the running backs/wide receivers/tight ends coach at Army (1995-99) Dietzel mentored a running backs group that led the nation in rushing in 1996 and 1998. Including a four year run to the championship game from 1979 to 1982. Staff Directory Members By Category/Department; Name Title Email Address Phone; Mike Houston: Head Coach hoggarda@ecu.edu (252) 737-4568 (252) 737-4568 : We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. There are a bunch of potential positives in there. I was just on the floor dead and Im here working. The official Football Coach List for the Kentucky State University Thorobreds and Thorobrettes. McKinney and EKU will begin the 2022 season at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 2. Apply Now New Applicants Current EKU Employee Frequently Asked Questions Background Check Process Employee Information Staff Handbook Faculty Handbook Separation of Employment Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Eastern Kentucky Head Coach Returns to Program After Heart Attack, because they didnt have training staff on hand, did not have access to athletic trainers for its athletes, 2023 NFL Draft Prospects Rising After Week 3, Four Matchups of the Unbeatens You Cant Miss, Marshall Slayed Notre Dame. Eastern Kentucky - Corey Rush. EKU will play 11 games in the 2022 season, six home games and five away games. It was more than the emotions from the theatrics involved on the field that night. All three of Tennessee transfer Jacquez Jones' catches went for touchdowns, the longest a 53-yarder that gave EKU (1-2) a 30-14 lead in the third quarter. EKU has opted out of playing an Ohio Valley Conference schedule in the spring, choosing to play a nine-game fall schedule. I was like, Coach, you want me to shut the door? He didnt answer, and thats when I peeked in and I saw him there.. The day afterward, and six days since he very nearly died in his office, Wells did what he always does after a game: He went in to watch the film. But it's been more of a trend at Kentucky as men's basketball recruiting has outpaced football recruiting in recent years. Dietzel helped the 2001 Kent State team to its first winning season in 14 years while serving as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach. What eventually got everyone into gear was a belief that their head coach was going to return. After his teams seven-overtime victory against Bowling Green, in a game he did not coach, Walt Wells came close to expressing emotion in a way he rarely does. Theyve both always believed in a higher power; its fair to say thats been strengthened. I will surely miss my brothers on the field. On defense, the conversation starts and stops with redshirt senior linebacker Matthew . He completed a secondary education school specialist degree at MSU in 1998 and a school superintendent certification in 2007. I want to sit there and have my notes ready for the coaches when they get in. But the noise Bowling heard was actually Wells dropping to the floorthe coach was having a heart attack. At one point, opened his eyes and looked straight at me, Jen says. Other than that, and I think Im bugging him, because I keep going, Are you O.K. 06/09/2023. Register Sports reported on Wednesday afternoon that a second play, junior offensive lineman Graham Ashkettle has also quit the EKU football team over concerns about COVID-19 safety guidelines. Football chief of staff Garry McPeek was on his motorcycle when his Apple Watch started buzzing. After about 48 hours since he had collapsed in his office, he was awake, alert and breathing on his own. NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision, 2023 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team, Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Mark Story: EKU is 'discussing' moving its football program up to the FBS", "ASUN Conference Announces Three New Institutions; Adds Football as 20th Sport", "ASUN, WAC Conferences Announce Football Partnership for 2021", "@ASUN_Football and WAC Release 2023 Schedule", "ASUN And WAC Unveil 2023 Football Schedule", "ASUN-WAC Football Partnership Formally Rebrands As The United Athletic Conference", "Eastern Kentucky Colonels Football Future Schedules", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eastern_Kentucky_Colonels_football&oldid=1150693125, Eastern Kentucky University Marching Colonels, This page was last edited on 19 April 2023, at 16:09. Keep in mind we started fall camp on Friday July 31st. Over nine seasons at Buffalo (2010-14) and CMU, Dietzels teams ranked second in the MAC in total defense four times. Richard Johnson is known for his college sports expertise and appears as an analyst on the SEC Network show Thinking Out Loud. 2:30. of Worn Cleat Club, Director of Athletics Communications (Football, Beach Volleyball), Associate Director (Men's Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball), Assistant Director (Women's Basketball, Soccer, Softball, Golf), Graduate Assistant, Athletics Communications (Cross Country, Track & Field, Tennis), Assistant Director of Athletics Operations & Analytics, Graduate Assistant, Athletics Operations & Facilities, Graduate Assistant, Marketing and Operations, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach, Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Coach, Wide Receivers Coach/Co-Recruiting Coordinator, Outside Linebackers Coach/Co-Special Teams Coordinator, Cornerbacks Coach/Co-Recruiting Coordinator, Defensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator for Defense, Tight Ends Coach/Special Teams Coordinator, Assistant Director of Football Sports Performance, Director of Football Recruiting Operations, Director of Equipment Services for Football, Assistant Director of Football Sports Medicine, Director of Student-Athlete Mental Health. Director Athletics Communications and Public Relations (MBB Primary), Senior Assoc. Bailey Zappe threw for three touchdowns, Houston Baptist blocked a late PAT for a two-point conversion and the Huskies' completed their four-game season with a 33-30 win over Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. $55.00. Eastern Kentucky is third all time in the FCS for playoff appearances with 21 total appearances (Montana 26/UNI 22). JOE CRAFT CENTER By Camille Gear Published : Aug. 4, 2020 at 10:36 PM EDT | Updated : Aug. 5 . [3] During the 2021 season, EKU competed as a de facto associate member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in a football partnership between the two leagues officially branded as the "ASUNWAC Challenge". He served as athletic director and principal at Fairview High School in Ashland, Kentucky from 2007 to 2014. Thankfully, Walt Wells is still here to experience both. Bowling often asks what would have happened to Wells if he wasnt there, remembering to restock the coachs fridge. Walt Wells Football Camps are not owned or operated by Eastern Kentucky University. [4] While the ASUN launched its own football league in 2022, it maintained its partnership with the WAC for the 2022 season. Football Chief of Staff garry.mcpeek@eku.edu: Billy Brown: Director of Football Sports Performance william.brown@eku.edu: 859-622-8023 859-622-8023: Gregory Bourn: Ball State ranked 15th nationally in turnovers gained (24) in 2019. He helped WKU to two Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff appearances and then a 7-5 record in the first year of its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. The BYU coaching staff has already added 16 transfers to . Is he going to see me graduate? I don't usually fall apart because somebody has to keep it together [since] he couldnt obviously, so I just guess I processed and I compartmentalized, but it was scary.. Go To Coaching Staff. Hes been a defensive coordinator before, so his experience will help our defensive staff. His voice trembles and his trademark visor shakes in his hands as he holds on. 2022 Football Coaching Staff. Courtesy of EKU Athletics. On Saturday, hell test himself as head coach of a Division I football team for the first time. [Thomas] couldve walked out the door, Wells says. TK McLendon Jr. is an athletic interior defender with great size. of the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame/Coord. The EKU Colonels played in the inaugural Opportunity Bowl presented by Raising Cane's, and in memory of Dr. Sheila Pressley, on Nov. 21, 2020. Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach. Director Athletics Communications and Public Relations (FB/MBB Media Operations, Rifle, NCAA Championships), Associate Director Athletics Communications and Public Relations (BASE, FB Secondary), Associate Director Athletics Communications and Public Relations (MBB, MGOLF, STUNT), Associate Director Athletics Communications and Public Relations (SOFT, VB), Assistant Director Athletics Communications & Public Relations (WBB, WGOLF), Website Coordinator | Contact for Cheer, Dance, STUNT, Athletics Communications and Public Relations Assistant (GYM, M SOC, W TEN), Athletics Communications and Public Relations Assistant (S&D, WSOC, MTEN), Athletics Communications and Public Relations Assistant (T&F, XC, WBB), Director of Sports Medicine Head Athletic Trainer (FB), Assistant Athletic Trainer- Track and Field, Cross Country, Assistant Director of Strength & Conditioning, Olympic Sports, Director of Player Development - Baseball, Head Men's Basketball Strength & Conditioning Coach, Assistant Men's Basketball Strength & Conditioning Coach, Assistant Director of Strategic Communications, Academic Counselor Sr. & Learning Services Coordinator for Football, Academic Counselor Sr (MGOLF, WGOLF, VB, SB, STUNT), Director of Academic Advising Services (MSOC, WSOC, GYM, WTEN), Strength & Conditioning Coach (MTEN, WTEN, T&F & CHEER), Associate Head Coach / Tight Ends / Recruiting Coordinator / NFL Liaison, Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers. Peterson received the phone call at 10:01 a.m., and paramedics arrived by 10:14. The truth has to be told and Ill be your guy. Thomas Bowling, Eastern Kentuckys director of football operations, noticed it on his way out the door on a late August evening. He also launched the athletic program at Lexingtons Frederick Douglass High School and twice coached for the Kentucky Horsemen Arena Football League team. I dont think she realized the extent of what was going on, and then she called me back and she asked me if he was gone, and I was like, No, Ms. Wells, theyre doing CPR.. There are AEDs throughout Eastern Kentuckys athletic facility that are regularly serviced. Sources: ASUN, WAC eye pairing for FBS jump, Connelly: Ranking the chances of all 24 teams in the FCS playoffs, Eastern Kentucky wins 7-OT marathon game vs. God, please help him live. Because I mean, hes dead. The trainers were prepared for an emergency medical situation and how to use the devices. At the top of Bowlings to-do list when he arrived the next day: get his boss some Powerade. I love my teammates as well as my family and Ill forever cherish the l moments I had with them. LOCATION: LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY The AD also tried to make sure no assistant coaches had too many extra responsibilities. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. ENROLLMENT: 30,000 Coach Wells eventually is going to cut this film on, and it would be a shame if whatever we put out there is not going to be up to his standards and the standards of the team, veteran defensive lineman Shane Burks II says. ATHLETICS DIRECTOR: MITCH BARNHART, Executive Associate AD/ SWA & Student Development, Executive Associate AD/External Operations, Executive Associate AD/Chief Financial Officer, Executive Assoc Athletics Dir/Sports Medicine and Performance, Executive Associate AD / Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Executive Associate AD/Chief Revenue Officer, Executive Associate AD | Student Athlete Experience, Assistant AD for Premium Seating, Hospitality & Events, Associate Athletics Director/Business Operations, Assistant AD for Athletics Communications and Public Relations, Director of Analytics & Professional Strategy, Assistant Athletic Director / (DEI) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (RIFLE), Asst AD Student Athlete Development & Professional Advancement, Director of Athletics Communications and Public Relations (FB), Assoc. He most recently served as the offensive line coach at Valdosta High School during the 2020 season, helping the team reach the GHSA 6A semifinals. They hook me up, get a monitor on me to an EKG thing, and [my physical therapist] goes, All right, now were going to walk for six minutes. I always ask him if he wants me to shut the door. What if he didnt knock on Wellss closed door or left when he didnt hear an answer, which staffers say is what they normally do, assuming the coach was hard at work? At Eastern Kentucky Football there is little or no testing, (last team test was July 6). McPeek was the offensive coordinator at Fannin County High School in Blue Ridge, Georgia during the 2014 season. McPeek took over as acting head coach, a purposeful title given by athletic director Matt Roan that made it clear Wells was going to eventually be back. He served as the defensive backs/safeties coach at Ball State during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Mike Dietzel has 30-plus years of coaching experience at the college and professional level. At the time, the ASUN did not sponsor football, but had committed to launching an FCS football league in the near future. Cowboys NFL Draft hub: Full list of picks, team fits, 2023 NFL Draft: Best prospects available in Round 5, Would like to see him fight upstream more. The situation was somewhat similar to what coaches and players had to deal with during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a coach could be out for a few games due to illness. Then [the nurse] goes, Do you see, Jen? He looked at me, and I thought, I don't think he has brain damage. I had to be pretty strong for my two kids, because they kept looking at me. All rights reserved. Eastern Kentucky vs. Kentucky - College Football Game Summary - September 9, 2023 | ESPN. EKU responds after kicker quits team, makes strong allegations against coaching staff. He displays good range as a pass-catcher and uses his body to box out like a power forward. Full Bio. and last updated 10:34 PM, Aug 29, 2022. I was like, Please help this man live. Please do something. And He did. EKU Vice President and Director of Athletics Matt Roan made the announcement. The fridge in the entryway of Walt Wells's campus office was empty. He woke up to 1,200 text messages and 400 emails. Announced schedules as of November 26, 2022.[9]. #DoTheyReallyCare, A post shared by Landon White (@landon1white) on Aug 4, 2020 at 4:55pm PDT. The school has traditionally had much success on the football field, having won 21 OVC conference titles and two Division I FCS National Championships (then called Division I-AA) in 1979 and 1982, and reaching the finals in 1980 and 1981. He mentored three-time All-MAC linebacker Malik Fountain and All-MAC safety Kavon Frazier, a 2016 draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys, at CMU. (WYMT) - An Eastern Kentucky University football player quit the team due to COVID-19 safety concerns. They did not think but rather simply reacted and started CPR within minutes. There was no ifs, ands or buts about it.. But the subsequent days were crucial for the 54-year-old Wells, who was put on a ventilator as soon as he arrived at the hospital to protect his airways until doctors were certain he could breathe on his own. A guy last night, he goes, Ive got to ask. He coached in the 1989 Rose Bowl as a graduate assistant outside linebackers coach with Michigan, where he worked under the legendary Bo Schembechler and was on a staff that included Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr. The Bowling Green Falcons will be playing at home against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at 4 p.m. The team received daily updates on Wellss status after practice and any developments were relayed to players before the school released anything to reporters or social media. Staff Directory Members By Category/Department; Image Name Title Email Address Phone; Paul Hamilton: Interim Head Football Coach paul.hamilton@kysu.edu: at Visit ESPN to view the Eastern Kentucky Colonels team roster for the current season Dietzel helped the Cardinals to a 7-1 record in 2020, a victory over No. Is he going to walk me down the aisle? I tried to stay positive as a leader myself.. Through it all, we tried our best to stay positive. Eastern Kentucky went to four consecutive national championship games, winning twice in 1979 and 1982 while finishing as runner-up in 1980 and 1981 to Boise State and Idaho State, respectively. He recounts it all, thanks to those who acted so quickly to save him. They also had access to the needed equipment. He had a pretty long blockage, which was also calcified, which means [this attack has] been brewing for a while, so hes probably had some buildup of blockages, says interventional cardiologist Amartya Kundu, the head physician who treated Wells. Bowling Green earned a 42-35 in their most recent matchup in September of 2018.. The Colonels want to regain their former status as a dynasty in college football's second tier, earned during the. In preparation for summer participation, every student-athlete and sport-specific coach and staff member was tested for COVID-19. EKU One-Day Prospect Camp | June 9th, 2023. During this time period they went 46-7 under legendary coach Roy Kidd. The National Athletic Trainers Association released a study in 2019 that showed 34% of public and private high schools in the country (nearly 7,000) did not have access to athletic trainers for its athletes. He spent his first week back on the job largely on a golf cart, off to the side, before the Bowling Green game Sept. 10, which he joked was a good test of how well his heart was working. In September 2013, the Lexington Herald-Leader, the daily newspaper of nearby Lexington, reported that EKU was considering moving its program to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision. That said, the appointment of Coach McPeek as acting head coach allows the team to move forward in the most efficient, least disruptive manner possible. 23 Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference Championship game and a win over No. Walt Wells. Ive been asked 100 times about that. Shortly after that season, the two conferences fully merged their football leagues,[5][6] announcing the new branding of United Athletic Conference in April 2023.[7]. Hes a really good person and a really solid coach., Dietzel spent seven seasons at Western Kentucky (2003-09), including three as defensive coordinator. 2023 Football Coaching Staff. CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Parker McKinney threw for a career-high four touchdowns and Eastern Kentucky beat The Citadel 37-14 on Saturday to give Walt Wells his first victory as a head coach. My last day is finally here. For Wells and others in the program, the fact that he stood in front of them is what many describe as a miracle considering what had happened two weeks ago. February 02 | @ekufootball EKU Football Finalizes 2023 Schedule February 01 | @ekufootball Well chew on em, maybe., By Sept. 1, Wells was able to walk out of the hospital, the day before the Colonels were set to face Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti. Visit ESPN to view the Eastern Kentucky Colonels team stats for the 2022 season. 8:21 pm ET. Then I told him, Coach, your fridge was empty. UK ATHLETICS McPeek holds a bachelors of arts degree in secondary education from Morehead State University. Football Coaching Staff. Although its safe to say hes significantly far along in at least one aspect of his recovery. The Player cafeteria (case dining hall) endangers the EKU Cafeteria staff as well as other students who are now on campus, masks are routinely not worn while players are constantly being reminded by the dining hall staff instead of our coaches to keep it on. His father and uncle both died from heart-related issues, while his brother has had a quintuple bypass. Peterson estimated that if Wellss heart had been stopped for any more than about five minutes, he wouldnt be here right now. It is good to have him on board.. Eastern Kentucky has won 21 conference championships, 16 outright and 5 shared.[8]. His personality will be infectious to our staff and players. Top links from the Next Cats blog. FOUNDED: 1865 From 2006 to 2008 he was the head coach and general manager for the Huntington Heroes Arena Football Team. Wells says he has been asked by countless people whether he had seen the light. The official 2023 Football Roster for the Eastern Kentucky University Colonels . 8-4-20. The suspension of air operations was effective immediately, with units grounded until they complete the training, said Lt. Col. Terence Kelley, an Army spokesperson.