"It's one of those transitions going from the role I was in to that we're going to start doing a different style of offense here. In his vacancy, the Hilltoppers hired former Vanderbilt assistant Dave Roberts to be the head coach with hopes of continuing what Feix started. Counseling--like Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. If your Faculty/Staff information is incorrect, please contact the Human Resources at 270-745-5360. endobj As the budget remained tight over the next few years WKU managed an 8-3 record in 1993 before having back-to-back losing seasons. One new defensive staff change for WKU is Scott Vestal, who will be the inside linebackers coach next season. The reallocating allowed WKU to play defensive coordinator Clayton White more, which played a major factor in White staying on Helton's staff. Terry Obee will return to his role as wide receivers coach after and your suggestions. Hamby inherits an offensive line group that was ranked the 14th-best unit by PFF College and finished last season ranked second in the nation in pass-blocking grade and 17th in run-blocking grade. Salaries for new WKU football assistant coaches. He then spent three seasons working at Memphis as a weight room assistant (2017), offensive analyst (2018) and director of high school relations (2019) before following coach Mike Norvell to FSU. If you give them the impression counseling is an OK choice, they will believe you. Summers boasts 20 years of coaching experience, while Davis is a rising star in the profession who was a former running back at Ole Miss. [11] Elson's first four seasons as head coach were at the Division I-AA level (now FCS) where he picked up where Harbaugh left and posted four straight winning seasons, a record of 3017, and two playoff berths. Winds light and variable. WKU has several historic rivalries that stem from its time in the Ohio Valley Conference. bD0nK2w6Jyc7ai5hc3luYz10cnVlO2ouc3JjPQogICAgICAgICdodHRwczov BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - WKU Football has announced the hiring of Micheal Spurlock as the program's receivers coach. M.A. [19] Taggart, who started all four years as the Hilltoppers quarterback from 1995 to 1998 under Jack Harbaugh, ran a run-heavy West Coast style offense that helped develop leading rushers, Bobby Rainey and Antonio Andrews. "So anyone who thinks athletics is receiving a priority over academics in funding is simply ignoring the facts," Stewart said. Number of employees at Western Kentucky University in year 2021 was 1,620. Feix became the most successful and longest-tenured coach in Western Kentucky football history while leading the Hilltoppers in a transition from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS). harassment. Taggart has been the first Black head coach at five different college programs - Western Kentucky (2010-12), South Florida (2013-16), Oregon . After Diddle left the football program to focus on coaching basketball, WKU football went through a series of instability in coaching but also a series of 9 winning seasons. honors, and Bobby Rainey was named to five All-American teams Following his collegiate career, Davis had proopportunities with the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Blizzards before starting his coaching career. Back in April, Stewart, Helton, and men's basketball coach Rick Stansbury took a 10 percent salary reduction. 100 Miles of Hate is the name of the long-standing rivalry with Middle Tennessee. Andy LaRussa Retweeted. That win over MTSU in 2007 would be the last major win for the Hilltoppers under Elson. endobj 2014 Western Kentucky (OC/QB Coach) 8-5 2013 Cincinnati (TE/ST Coach) 2012 UAB (RB Coach) 3-9. Jack Clayton provided some much-needed stability to the WKU football program where he served as head coach for 9 seasons. I'm extremely honored to be in this position, and really excited just to work. Having already made up his mind that he was not going to quit, he talked with his players left them a choice: accept defeat and leave, or fight to stay. Western Kentucky head football coach Tyson Helton has made some staff changes this offseason, with the latest three being the promotion of Maurice Crum to defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Stephen Hamby to offensive line coach and Carlos Locklyn to running backs coach. [44] In 2006 the name of Division I-AA was changed to NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). . W-Club. [21] Keeping the programs momentum going, on April 1, 2013, it was announced that WKU would join Conference USA in all sports effective July 1, 2014, the following season. Taggart was the head coach for five different NCAA football programs in the past, including Oregon and Florida State. L3d3dy5nb29nbGV0YWdtYW5hZ2VyLmNvbS9ndG0uanM/aWQ9JytpK2RsKycm In 1973, the Hilltoppers went undefeated in the regular season before competing in the first-year NCAA Division II championship playoffs. Andy Beshear declares State of Emergency ahead of severe storms, WKU Baseballs game against Northern Illinois has been postponed, WKU Softball revises Hilltopper Spring Fling schedule for this weekend, Girls 4th Region Tournament Semifinals rescheduled for Saturday evening, Former NFL veteran Micheal Spurlock named WKU receivers coach. Crum fully takes over a defense that allowed just 25.3 points and 348.7 yards per game this past season, including only 177.3 passing yards. uuid:7e5a1597-ab91-11b2-0a00-782dad000000 Skip to content. He then moved to Colorado State to be Defensive Coordinator in 2015 before earning a head coaching opportunity for Georgia Southern in 2016; the Eagles went 5-7 in his first season at the helm. "I think the signal here is the wrong one. assistant. WKU rushed for 126 yards per game in 2020 and was led by Gaej Walker, who ran for 645 yards and three touchdowns. Jack Harbaugh served as the Hilltoppers head football coach for 14 seasons, compiling a 9168 record, three 10+ win seasons, two conference championships (OVC 2000, Gateway 2002) and the 2002 Division I-AA National Championship. Qb"l '3>tp Coach Jimmy Feix The 1980 season will be Jimmy Feix's 13th year as head coach of the Hilltoppers, but his name has been closely connected with winning football at Western Kentucky for much longer than that. school to be first in its league in championships while being in the bottom 25 percent of its league in the budget. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. He'll remain in-state for his next NFL coaching job. Coaching Staff . The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football program is a college football team that represents Western Kentucky University. He first became a head coach at Western Kentucky in 2010 after he switched . Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator 859-622-8295 859-622-8295: Tyler Anderson: Assistant Coach/Pitching Coach Bryant Bowen: Volunteer Assistant Coach . Obviously there are emotional swings with sports and so the mathematical ratings do not always line up with the emotional expectations from a team. Western Kentucky approves upgrade to I-A", "Western Kentucky fires coach amid 0-9 season", "W. Kentucky hires Stanford's Taggart as coach", "Western Kentucky hires Stanford assistant Willie Taggart as coach USATODAY.com", "Little Caesars Bowl: Western Kentucky gamble fails; Central Michigan wins", "Bobby Petrino hired as new Western Kentucky head coach", "Bobby Petrino is new WKU football coach", "Western Kentucky to Join Conference USA in 2014", "Kentucky Wildcats vs Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Recap", "Louisville Cardinals hire Bobby Petrino as football coach", "Jeff Brohm hired as coach of Western Kentucky Hilltoppers", "After filling up stat sheet last year, Brandon Doughty focusing on championship", "Hilltoppers finish season ranked No. No one ever doubted Harbaugh's ability to coach but he clearly needed better players. Zi5wYXJlbnROb2RlLmluc2VydEJlZm9yZShqLGYpOwogICAgICAgIHdpbmRv Summers boasts 20 years of coaching experience, while Davis is a rising star in the profession who was a former running back at Ole Miss. If you notice a behavior (e.g., drinking, anger, isolation, social conflicts) with Rodriguez coached on the same Vikings staff as Gannon for a number of years but has spent the past three football seasons coaching the defensive line at Arizona State. Is Coach Ken Niumatalolo on the Hot Seat? It appears it is currently turned off for your browser. Invalid password or account does not exist. . I'm extremely excited to get with my guys. LUBBOCK, Texas- Zach Kittley, the architect behind one of the nation's top offenses this season at Western Kentucky, has been named the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech, head coach Joey McGuireannounced Monday evening. AppendPDF Pro 5.5 Linux Kernel 2.6 64bit Oct 2 2014 Library 10.1.0 Western Kentucky University football coach Willie Taggart has announced an addition to his coaching staff and several changes in responsibility as the Hilltoppers prepare for spring practice. WKU beat LaTech 5844 in a revenge match becoming just the second team to repeat as C-USA champions in back-to-back years and the first team in C-USA to host the championship and win in back-to-back years. Jim joined the WKU football coaching staff as an NCAA-certified unpaid assistant which allowed him to recruit. [4] He finished at WKU with a record of 30-10, two bowl wins, and two C-USA titles. Offices will remain open. Active Retired Last Name First Name Organizational Listing The Hilltoppers were very successful in this era posting an outstanding a 60204 record. The university's cupola is inscribed on the chest plate and the line from the school's alma mater "We shall never fail thee" is written on the bottom of the jersey. staff the following season. Stay up to date with all the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers sports news, recruiting, transfers, and more at 247Sports.com . LB Jr. 6' 2'' 250 lbs . While in Athens, the Bulldogs won two SEC East Division titles, the 2017 SEC championship and the College Football Playoff semifinal to earn the opportunity to play for the national championship. Head coach Tyson Helton made the decision to reallocate the salaries of the two coaches among his current staff. bS9ucy5odG1sP2lkPUdUTS1NRjZQWFhDJmFtcDtndG1fYXV0aD1LaEg2aGVD This page requires JavaScript to be enabled in order to function properly. Winds light and variable. [3] Dickie Moore was named to the AP All-American team and was Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year. 1089 days ago . You can help the student overcome the idea counseling is just for the "weak". Schedule. Led by Nick Denes in his 11th and final season as head coach, the Hilltoppers compiled and overall record of 711 with a mark of 511 in conference play, placing second in the OVC.[1]. They were led by third-year head coach Willie Taggart and played their home games at Houchens Industries-L. T. Smith Stadium. Tyler Mansfield is the Western Kentucky managing editor and primary beat reporter for InsideHilltopperSports.com. The official Football Coach List for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers. Brother Rice HS Merrillville, Ind. Ben Arbuckle - who was an Offensive Quality Control coach in 2021 - will become a full-time assistant as a Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks coach. [17] In their first year under Taggart, coming off a winless season under Elson, WKU finally broke their 26-game losing streak with a 5421 win at UL Lafayette. In 2007, WKU initiated the transition to NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and became ineligible for any further playoff appearances. Charles Huff : Head Coach: . [40] They were NCAA Division 2 national runners-up in 1973 and 1975. Spurlock played in the National Football League from 2006-14. 1967 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team, Last edited on 17 December 2022, at 20:59, 1967 NCAA College Division football season, 1967 Ohio Valley Conference football standings, Pro Football Reference Romeo Crennal, retrieved 30 April 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1967_Western_Kentucky_Hilltoppers_football_team&oldid=1127997525, This page was last edited on 17 December 2022, at 20:59. After the 1988 season, Roberts left Western Kentucky for the Northeast Louisiana head coaching job. It worked very well for us this past year with a Zach Kittley, a Bryan Ellis, a Zach Lankford, a Ben Arbuckle, a coach Crawford and coach Lock in that room, all those guys have a voice in there.. Ellis was named the new offensive coordinator at Georgia Southern and Hamby is joining Kittley as offensive line coach at Texas Tech. The reason why Im having multiple co-OCs is because all those men are talented, all those men need to have a voice in the room. Certain Data by Sportradar and Stats Perform, PCEtLSBCZWdpbiBjb21TY29yZSBUYWcgLS0+Cgo8c2NyaXB0PgogIHZhciBf On August 13, 2016, WKU released 2 new (red home and white away) jerseys with 3 pants (red, white, and black.) Phone. [7] The Hilltoppers finished the 1992 season with a losing record of 46. Wisconsin after serving as offensive coordinator and wide receivers They listen to you The 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team will represent Sam Houston State University in Conference USA during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season.The Bearkats are expected to be led by K.C. In addition to that group, the Toppers are also bringing in multiple transfers from Power Five schools. Menu. linebackers coach after two seasons working with the defensive Both are due $2.5 million in 2020. After leaving Western Kentucky, Harbaugh served as an associate athletic director at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his son-in-law, Tom Crean, was the head coach of the men's basketball team. "That happens every single year. Davion Ervin-Poindexter. Your account has an invalid email address. <> NCAA Football. From there, Taggart is credited with getting WKU's football program back on track after posting back to back 75 regular seasons that included an upset of Kentucky in Lexington in 2012. bgdailynews.com 813 College Street Bowling Green, KY 42101 Phone: 270-781-1700 [5] Harbaugh took the Hilltopper football program from the depths of despair in the early 1990s to its best stretch since the legendary Jimmy Feix coached on the Hill. endstream Fresno State Athletics. Would you like to receive a weekly digest of headlines & events from The Amplifier by email? Things only got worse for the Hilltoppers in 2009 after they finally became full members of the Sun Belt Conference. dCc6CiAgICAgICAgbmV3IERhdGUoKS5nZXRUaW1lKCksZXZlbnQ6J2d0bS5q Athletes have a unique position on college campuses---they often are seen as student Image. "You know we're 12th of the 14 members in Conference USA in the budget," Stewart said. WKU played in four bowl games that were part of the NCAA Division II postseason during the 1973 to 1977 timeframe, with a record of 22. Bobby Johnson Endowed Head Coach Of Football 864-294-2120 864-294-2120: Chad Byers: Inside Linebackers / Co-Defensive Coordinator . University Website. Create a password that only you will remember. Knowing it wasn't going to be easy, and without the motivation of being eligible to compete for a championship, Elson and the Hilltoppers set two team goals that season; to win seven games and to go undefeated at home. Taylor had previously worked under former head coach Jeff Brohm for two seasons (2014-15) in the same capacity. ), 19 Times (Tourn.) Staff Directory. The 1967 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) during the 1967 NCAA College Division football season. Starting defensive tackle Jeremy Darvin will miss the bowl game following surgery after suffering an arm injury in last weeks Conference USA championship game. hWcTa3w_evy?;kapov_vw E!2acrxo)Gm,,>.CPo#}]@?j+HAKXeSDQBW7#Vf2>_;7 s8 X/tf8g3$t6zh5ceGp/J4mLA?f}JAq8,X4FB#ddfN`KQh2r2.. 1996 Houston; 1997 Houston; 1998 Houston; 1999 . Is Coach Philip Montgomery on the Hot Seat? season 7-5 and take second place in the Sun Belt Conference. Vestal has worked as a defensive analyst for WKU under defensive coordinator. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. For the past three seasons, LaRussa was WKU's Special Teams Coordinator and Safeties coach. head coach after coaching running backs coach at Stanford prior to The Hilltoppers went on to defeat South Florida, who was coached by former Hilltopper quarterback and coach Willie Taggart, in the Miami Beach Bowl 4535, ending the season with a 122 record and ranked 24th in the nation. We are constantly tweaking our formula so that we can find the sweet spot of when a coach is technically on the hot seat. On the pants, visibility of "Hilltoppers" lettering down the side of the pants increases with intensity of the game. Jim also recruited future NFL players Rod Smart and Mel Mitchell to WKU as well as 17 players on the 2002 national championship team. The program has 13 conference championships (1 SIAA, 9 OVC, 1 Gateway, 2 Conference USA) and 6 FBS-level bowl game victories. Obviously his relationship with Bailey and the opportunity to have one more game together, I think thats really, really special so Im glad thats going to happen.. The official staff directory for the Skip To Main . Helton also announced a series of promotions on his current staff for next season. LSBFbmQgY29tU2NvcmUgVGFnIC0tPgoKCg==, Enjoying InsideHilltopperSports? [41] NCAA Division I-AA was formed for football in 1978, and WKU moved up from Division II to Division I-AA at that time, and all playoff appearances since then were at the Division I-AA level. Earlier this month, Staggs was reportedly set to become the linebackers coach at Western Kentucky. "There is no football coach, basketball coach anywhere in the county that has a tenure. [22] In their first game under Petrino and to start the season, the Hilltoppers won their second straight game over SEC opponent Kentucky, playing at a neutral site in Nashville, Tennessee. 24 ranked Marshall, in Huntington, 6766 in overtime[28] (effectively starting a rivalry between the two schools) as well as winning the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl, their first FBS bowl win with a 4948 victory over Central Michigan. Beck, who is in his first year as a college football head coach, and his almost entirely new staff - outside linebackers/special teams coach Josh Miller is the lone assistant who stayed. Student-Athlete Development. Go To Coaching Staff. We're going to be part of the same reduction that the whole campus is part of," Stewart said. In his first season, Helton won 2019 C-USA Coach of the Year. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. 02/9/2023 11:40:00 AM | Football. Advertisement Employees Number 1,691 1 2 3 . Thomas only stuck around WKU two more seasons with much less success than his first go around posting a 5102 record. Counseling services are confidential (i.e., no information Denes retired after the 1967 season following a 4219 win over Murray State. By 1952, with Feix now in his senior year, Clayton coached WKU to their first Ohio Valley Conference championship, tied the school record for wins, and the school's first bowl appearance, winning 3419 over Arkansas State in the Refrigerator Bowl, finishing the season 91. This college football 1960s season article is a stub. Would you like to receive a digest of each day's headlines & events from The Daily News by email? | Tyson Heltons Record with Western Kentucky. Athletics & Coaches | Western Kentucky University You have a special role in the lives of your student athletes. Email Address. The official Football Coach List for the Fresno State Bulldogs. Winds light and variable.. A clear sky. d2t1IgogIH0pOwogIChmdW5jdGlvbigpIHsKICAgIHZhciBzID0gZG9jdW1l WKU linebacker Will Ignont will also miss the game due to injury.{&end}. WKU played in the NCAA Division II playoff championship game in 1973 and 1975. . During his first year at WKU, the team went 67, losing in the 2017 Cure Bowl to Georgia State, 2717. Bio. ends, and Eric Mathies will coach the entire defensive line. eTpoaWRkZW4nIHdpZHRoPScwJz48L2lmcmFtZT4KPC9ub3NjcmlwdD4KCgo=, PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ncmEtY29udGFpbmVyIGRpc3Ryb19hZCc+CjxkaXYgY2xh Kansas Athletics Allen Fieldhouse 1651 Naismith Drive Lawrence, KS 66045 . They play their home games at Bowers Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.They are ineligible for a bowl game, the conference championship, or the College . We won't share it with anyone else. Signup today! cG9XSlVIbnFWemRFYTd3JmFtcDtndG1fcHJldmlldz1lbnYtMSZhbXA7Z3Rt Defensive coordinator Nick Holt led WKU in the Boca Raton Bowl. Assistant AD/Football Chief of Staff-----everettsh@marshall.edu: Ben Ashford : Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Performance-----ashfordb@marshall.edu: Summers most recently served as a Defensive Analyst for Florida during the 2021 season. The 2008 season shed a truer light to the transition as the Hilltoppers went 210 with no wins over FBS opponents, only beating their two other long-time rivals and FCS-level opponents EKU and Murray State. cyd9KTt2YXIgZj1kLmdldEVsZW1lbnRzQnlUYWdOYW1lKHMpWzBdLAogICAg [26], After one season as offensive coordinator for the Hilltoppers, Jeff Brohm was promoted to the program's head football coach, replacing Petrino. The houndstooth design from legendary coach, Jimmy Feix's fedora is used on team shirts and down the stripe of the helmet. WKU Athletics DEI Council. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text]>>/Type/Page>> ", "It's not an apples to apples comparison," George Nichols said. Complaints of sexual misconduct/assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking Taggart will handle the ICAgfSkod2luZG93LGRvY3VtZW50LCdzY3JpcHQnLCdkYXRhTGF5ZXInLCdH cyUzQSUyRiUyRndrdS5yaXZhbHMuY29tJTJGbmV3cyUyRmNydW0taGFtYnkt The Seminoles will be replacing at least one more member of the coaching staff this offseason. The official Football Coach List for the Marshall University The Herd. Ben Arbuckle will be the teams new quarterbacks coach and a co-offensive coordinator, Zach Lankford will take over as the offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator, and Josh Crawford will remain as the teams outside receivers coach and also serve as a co-offensive coordinator. Between his stints at WKU, Taylor worked at Georgia Southern as the Director of Football Operations in 2016 and two seasons at the University of Southern California as the Trojan's Director of Player Engagement. pre-season sessions. "Coming from Texas to Ohio to here, it's not the same transition as becoming full-time again," Hamby said. "We would've lost him if we didn't," Stewart said. Alabama's Steve Sarkisian and Auburn's Kevin Steele are the highest-paid assistant coaches in college football. The True Hiring Score or THS is compiled by a complex formula bringing together many different factors. Phone. All classes beginning at 11:00 am today, are cancelled across all WKU Campuses due to severe weather. His first team set a school record for wins that would stand for 41 years and his last team claimed to be state champions. . Former Louisville, Atlanta Falcons and Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino was hired as the new head football coach following Taggart's departure. Special Teams Coach on the Rise Next on our list is Western Kentucky Special Teams Coordinator @CoachLaRussa WKU was a top 20 overall Special Teams Unit in the country finishing Top 50 in Kickoff, Kickoff Return, Punt, Punt Return AND Field Goal. and a LendingTree Bowl victory over Western Kentucky in 2020 where the Panthers held the high-powered Hilltoppers . ^\\=UN-{ V9V* hGEWLSDqP)[P6,t'n}:*|LuAi.%V^6. Western Kentucky co-offensive coordinators Zach Kittley and Bryan Ellis are reportedly leaving for new jobs. In 1968, his "rookie" season as head coach, Feix led Western to seven wins against only two losses and a tie with nationally ranked-and bowl-bound- Akron. leaders. They listen to you and your suggestions. Twitter. Roberts struggled through his first three seasons posting a record 10221 before turning things around. In 2009 WKU completed its transition from Division I-AA/FCS to FBS. In his time on the Hill, Denes compiled a 57397 record for a .587 winning percentage. 27 28 29 Advertisement In 1920, L. T. Smith, whose name bears the Hilltoppers' home stadium, took the reins and coached the team for two seasons. Assistant coach Jimmy Feix succeeded Denes as head coach after the season. WKU last season. Defend. they will believe you. Assistant Athletics Director for Football Operations/Chief of Football Staff: Mike McHugh : mmchugh@mail.fresnostate.edu: 559-278-3015: Coordinator of Football Operations: Becky . They were a member of the Sun Belt Conference. And actually happens with every single program in the county.". [30], In 2015, Brohm led WKU to a ten-win regular season, highlighted by an undefeated conference record, WKU's first appearance in the top 25, and a Conference USA Championship beating Southern Miss 4528. bjsKICAgICAgICB3W2xdPXdbbF18fFtdO3dbbF0ucHVzaCh7J2d0bS5zdGFy d2luZG93Ll9kaWRBc3luY0luamVjdEdvb2dsZVRhZ01hbmFnZXIpIHJldHVy I want everything about us to be about competing.". <> the skills developed provide the students the tools needed to better manage their [32], On December 5, 2016 it was announced that Jeff Brohm would be leaving to take the head coach position at Purdue and that defensive coordinator Nick Holt would be filling in as interim head coach leading into their bowl game. In 1975, the Hilltoppers made the playoff field again advancing to the title game for the second time, but once again having to settle for runner-up honors finishing their season with an 112 record. [25] On January 8, 2014, it was announced that Petrino would leave WKU to return to Louisville to accept the head football coach position. The 2012 WKU Hilltoppers football team represented Western Kentucky University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Western Kentucky football sends out a bunch of offers. I'm elated," Crum said. Western Kentucky University football coach Willie Taggart has WKU has an inactive rivalry with Eastern Kentucky. NFL. If the Hilltoppers won seven games, they got rings. Signup today! In eight seasons, Feix's teams have never suffered more In 2016, Brohm led WKU to their second consecutive 10+ win season for the first time in school history and their second straight C-USA Football Championship title. a student, consider a referral to Counseling Center to help address these problems. Jan 20 Washington State Football is TOTALLY vested in the 808; our actions this week prove that statement. RB R-Jr. 5' 11'' 200 lbs . From 1917 to 1919 the Hilltoppers didn't compete in football from due to World War I. BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - After a comeback win over Central Michigan in the early afternoon, the Hilltoppers dropped their final game on Saturday to Jacksonville State, splitting the second day of the Hilltopper Classic.The 6-4 final over the Chippewas featured a Faith Hegh solo home run and six hits from six different Hilltoppers, while the 4-3 tough loss to Jacksonville State was the fourth . [5] On December 14, the school hired Mike Sanford Jr. as head coach. The True Hiring Score or THS is compiled by a complex formula bringing together many different factors. WKU opens the 2012 regular season All the efforts paid off and on April 30, 1992, the WKU Board of Regents voted to allow football to stay but with a reduced budget. In 2002, the WKU squad won the NCAA Division I-AA national football championship . "I'm excited about the opportunity to come here and work with Coach Helton and the new OC Zach Kittley. Z3RtX2F1dGg9JysnS2hINmhlQ3BvV0pVSG5xVnpkRWE3dycrCiAgICAgICAg Arnold Winkenhofer took over in 1942 coaching the Toppers for one season before the program was stopped from 1943 to 1945 due to World War II. 2019-05-22T06:45:08-07:00 Leaving his job as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Mike Sanford returned to WKU, this time as head coach, after serving as quarterbacks coach under Willie Taggart in 2010.