Dale Lennon Named Football Head Coach at Southern Illinois University
12/28/2007 | 12:00:00 | Football
Dec. 28, 2007
By Tom Weber
www.siusalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Dale Lennon was named football head coach at Southern Illinois University during a press conference at the school on Friday. Lennon has compiled a 90-24 record during the last nine years as head coach at Division II North Dakota, including seven playoff appearances, one National Championship and five North Central Conference Championships.
Listen to Press Conference Archive
"I am thrilled that we were able to attract a coach of Dale Lennon's caliber," said Saluki Director of Athletics Moccia. "He has experienced tremendous success both on and off the field throughout his coaching career. I feel very confident in saying he is the total package."
Moccia headed up the search to replace Jerry Kill, who left on Dec. 13, after seven years at SIU to become head coach at Northern Illinois.
"The search process went smoothly," said Moccia. "I appreciate our screening committee's efforts and the time they took to ensure we found the best candidate for this position. We reviewed a staggering amount of candidates at all levels, and I felt that Coach Lennon was the best fit for Southern Illinois University."
A native of Knox, N.D., the 47-year-old Lennon guided his team to the 2001 Division II National Championship and earned American Football Coaches Association Coach-of-the-Year honors. He has won NCC Coach-of-the-Year laurels three times.
"I am excited and honored to have the opportunity to coach at Southern Illinois," said Lennon. "The Saluki football program has established itself as one of the nation's premier FCS programs, and the potential for future success is impressive."
Under Kill, the Salukis qualified for the playoffs five-consecutive seasons from 2003-07, advancing to the final four this past season.
"I believe that my experiences at the North Dakota have prepared me to lead the Saluki program," Lennon said. "I look forward to the challenge of building upon its championship tradition."
Lennon, who agreed to a five-year contract that will pay him $200,000 annually, has spent his entire career playing and coaching football in the Dakotas.
Lennon graduated from Rugby High School in Rugby, N.D. and played running back at the University of North Dakota from 1979-83. He was the team captain and most valuable offensive back for the Sioux in 1983 and earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
After graduating from UND in 1985, Lennon earned his master's degree while coaching at Northern State (S.D.) in 1986. Lennon also served as an assistant coach at Valley City State (1986) and Dickinson State (1987) before returning to UND as defensive line coach in 1988.
Lennon was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Fighting Sioux and served in that capacity from 1990-96. He then accepted his first head coaching position at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D., and coached there for two seasons before being named UND's head coach in 1999.
Since the start of the 2003 season, Lennon's teams have compiled a 54-12 record, including five-consecutive 10-win seasons. Last year, Lennon guided UND to a 10-2 record as the Fighting Sioux advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Lennon has already accomplished something no Saluki head coach has done in 11 tries since 1983 -- beaten SIU's Gateway Conference rival Northern Iowa at the UNI Dome. Lennon did it in 2006, defeating the Panthers, 35-31, when UNI was ranked #3 in the nation.
Academic success is another hallmark of Lennon's teams. In eight of his nine seasons, the team grade point average was better than 3.0. In all, more than 50 Sioux players earned academic all-conference honors during his tenure.
Lennon and his wife, Chris, have three sons: Jared (18), Trevor (17) and Cody (13).
