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Ashland Names Lee
Owens Head Football Coach |
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Ashland University has named Lee Owens as its head football coach. The announcement was made this afternoon at AU’s John C. Myers Convocation Center. Owens is the 14th head football coach in school history. He brings a wealth of experience to the Eagles and a proven track record of success on and off the gridiron. As a head coach, Owens has a 129-93-2 record. He comes to Ashland from the University of Akron, where he coached from 1995-2003. Owens guided the Zips to a 7-5 record this past season. Owens is certainly familiar with AU and its football program. The new AU head coach is originally from nearby Mansfield, OH, and he’s a graduate of Madison High School. Owens earned his Master of Education degree from Ashland in 1981. “We’re excited to welcome Lee Owens home to coach the Eagles,” said AU director of athletics Bill Goldring. “Lee is a tremendous fit for our university and athletic department. He is the perfect person to restore our great football tradition.” Owens’ Akron teams were known for their offensive firepower. Under Owens, the Zips became a team that could reach the end zone from anywhere on the field. Owens led Akron to a 34-20 win over Marshall in 2002, Akron’s first victory ever over a a Top-25 team. He was on the sidelines for one of the biggest wins in school history, a 35-29 conquest of Navy in 1999. Akron trailed in that game, 23-0. That’s the largest come-from-behind win in school history and the greatest lead lost in 121 years of Navy football. Owens guided Akron to its first consecutive winning seasons since the school became a Division I-A member (1999-2000). In 2000, Akron won a share of the Mid-American Conference Eastern Division title. He also coached the school’s first consensus All-America, Dwight Smith, who played on last year’s Super Bowl champion, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The past several seasons saw the Akron offense flourish to the point where it was included among the nation’s most explosive units. In 2003, the Zips were sixth in the country in pass offense (311.3 ypg.), ninth in total offense (470. 25 ypg.) and 11th in scoring (36.25 ppg.) Quarterback Charlie Frye rewrote the school record book for completions, attempts, passing yards, total offense and completion percentage. He’s regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Owens’ success at Akron extended to more than just records on the field. In 2000 and 2001 the Zips led the MAC Academic Team and in 2001, the American Football Coaches of America (AFCA) presented Akron with an academic achievement award for a graduation rate over 70 percent. In 1995 when Owens arrived on campus, the football program’s graduation rate was 17 percent. Akron now averages 58 percent on the NCAA graduation report and this year, 16 seniors will graduate. Six of those seniors have a grade point average that exceeds 3.0. A quick look at the Owens resume reveals that he’s a leader among his peers. Owens has been active on the NCAA YES football staff and is on the public relations committee for the AFCA. He’s been the honorary chairman for Kids News Day at Akron Children’s Hospital, a community-wide fundraising project. Owens is heavily involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He served on the inaugural board for the First Tee Chapter of Akron – a program designed to expose disadvantaged youth to the game of golf and to prepare them for growth and leadership opportunities. Owens came to Akron after a stint as an assistant coach at Ohio State (1992-95). While at Ohio State, Owens helped the Buckeyes to a 27-8-2 record and a Big Ten co-championship in 1993. Ohio State made appearances in the Citrus Bowl (1993, 1995) and Holiday Bowl (1994) during his stay in Columbus. Owens coached the late three-time All-America Korey Stringer and Orlando Pace, a two-time Lombardi Trophy winner who’s gone on to become an All-Pro offensive lineman with the St. Louis Rams. Owens’ OSU stint followed an ultra-successful career as a high school football coach in Ohio. His carrer record on the prep level is 89-32-2 in 11 seasons. He was the athletic director and head football coach at Massillon Washington High School (1988-92) where he led the Tigers to a 35-13 mark in four seasons. His Massillon teams made three consecutive appearances in the state playoffs and his 1989 and 1991 units advanced to the state semifinals. Massillon won three of four games from arch-rival McKinley. In 1991, Massillon posted a 42-14 win over McKinley and that was the Tigers’ biggest win in the series in 31 years. While at Massillon, Owens played a major role in upgrading the school’s athletic facilities. He initiated a community-wide drive to privately fund more than $800,000 of improvements to the athletic complex at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. Prior to his time at Massillon, Owens spent one season at Lancaster High School (1987) where he led the Golden Gales to a 7-3 record and a spot in the state’s Top 10. From 1983-87 Owens was the head coach at Division II Galion. His record there was 33-11-1. His 1985 Galion team won the OHSAA state championship, going 14-0. In the state championship game, Galion downed Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, 6-0. Owens was named the Associated Press Coach of the Year and was presented with the key to the city of Galion. Before arriving at Galion, Owens was an assistant coach and the head football coach, social studies teacher and assistant principal at Crestview High School (1978-83) in Ashland. Owens spent two years as the defensive coordinator under Bill Seder, an AU graduate and a member of the school’s Hall of Fame. He became the head coach at age 24 in 1981. He guided the Cougars to a 10-0 record and a final ranking of third in the state that season. The new AU head coach got his start in coaching at Waynesfield-Goshen High School in Waynesfield, OH, in 1977. Owens earned his bachelor of arts degree from Bluffton College in 1977. Owens and his wife, Dianne, are the parents of four children – Ben 22, Andy 20, Leanne 17 and Molly 13. The AU head coach was born on July 17, 1956. Lee Owens Coaching History
Noteworthy
Sound Bites Sam Rutigliano, former head coach, Cleveland Browns and Liberty University “Ashland has hit a home run. Lee Owens is a great football coach evidenced by his successful experience in the state of Ohio. I truly believe he was responsible for a lot of the great recruiting that happened at Ohio State during the John Cooper era. Lee is a great person and an intellectually honest guy. This is a great marriage for Ashland and Lee Owens.” Mike Gottfried, ESPN college football analyst “Lee is one of the best football coaches I know. He’s the total package. He’s very intelligent, he’s hard-working and he has a passion for teaching. His players love him, he did a wonderful job at Akron. He put the Akron football program on the right path. I think he’s got a better job now. People at Ashland will embrace him. He knows the area, he knows Ashland and he’ll advance the football program. He’ll take it to another level.” John Cooper, former head coach, The Ohio State University “I hired Lee Owens out of high school. He came in and did a great job for me. He coached a couple of pretty good football players in Korey Stringer and Orlando Pace. Not only that, he did a great job with our entire offensive line. He did a great job recruiting. When I hired him, I wanted to hire the best high school football coach in Ohio that was available. I’m a Lee Owens man. He’s an outstanding hire for Ashland. He’s a great football coach and a great person.” Rick Chryst, Commissioner Mid-American Conference “I couldn’t think of anyone better for Ashland. My perspective has been that he works from the young people out. He’s a student-athlete guy, the players like him a lot. That’s his final evaluation on every question, what it means for the young people involved. That’s not to say he’s not competitive, he’s very competitive. He’s proven that he can compete and compete successfully. When you look at what he accomplished at Akron, record-wise and the caliber of player he recruited, this is a fantastic hire for Ashland.” Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins All-Pro defensive end and former University of Akron player “Ashland University has hired an outstanding football coach and great man. They will truly benefit by having him oversee their program. I know I did. Coach Owens was instrumental in helping me be a better person. He not only prepares you for football, but he prepares you for life as well.” |