By CHRIS HOBBS
HobbsDailyReport.com
HICKORY – Mike Kellar, fired Wednesday by Lenoir-Rhyne University, posted a message on Twitter on Saturday thanking the university for his two seasons as the Bears’ head football coach.
ON THE JOB AT LRU
Former Lenoir-Rhyne head coach Mike Houston returned the Bears to national prominence in his three seasons in Hickory. Here’s a look at how long each head football coach stayed on the job at Hickory since 1974:
Coach Years Yrs HC, Record
Jack Huss 1974-1979 6, 30-31-4
Henry Vansant 1980–1983 4, 16-27-1
John Perry 1984-1990 7, 35-42-0
Charles Forbes 1991-1996 6, 30-31-0
Bill Hart 1997–2001 5, 14-40-0
Wayne Hicks 2002–2006 5, 17-36-0
Fred Goldsmith 2007–2010 4, 17-27-0
Mike Houston 2011–2013 3, 29-8-0
Ian Shields 2014–2015 2, 16-6-0
Mike Kellar 2016-2017 2, 6-15-0
TOTALS 210-263-5
SOURCE: LRU Record Book.
The message – at https://twitter.com/coach_kellar — said: “Can’t thank Lenoir-Rhyne enough for the opportunity they gave me and my staff. I loved every second of coaching that team.”
The Bears went 3-7 this season and 6-15 in two seasons under Kellar, who was hired after Ian Shields resigned to become head coach at Jacksonville (Fla.) University.
The decision not to retain Kellar, a former head coach at California (Pa.) University, was announced in a press release on Wednesday by LRU’s marketing and communication department.
The release didn’t have any comments from Kellar or provide any additional details about his employment, such as contract length, salary or if the school has any financial obligation to Kellar as he leaves.
Angela Reiter, director of marketing and communications at LRU, declined comment when asked those questions by HobbsDailyReport.com on Wednesday.
On Thursday, LRU Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Kim Pate forwarded an e-mail from HobbsDailyReport.com requesting an interview with her about the Bears’ open head-coaching job to Reiter, who said in a return e-mail she has no news to report regarding a search the original press release said would begin immediately.
Reiter has indicated the marketing and communications department – rather than LRU’s athletic department or sports information office — will field all inquiries about the search for a new head football coach.
LRU is a private university and has for many years been tight-lipped about personnel moves and/or developments within its sports programs.
As of late Saturday, the school’s athletic website did not carry a post about the Wednesday decision to make a change in head football coaches, and the staff directory for the football program has seven names still listed.
Kellar, associate head coach Brian Hill, defensive coordinator Mike Lopez, offensive coordinator Bob McClain, tight ends coach Mitch Harrison and running backs/offensive quality control coach Jeremy Harmer – included in the 2017 preseason information – are no longer listed as football staff at the school.
The press release on Wednesday said David Cole will serve as interim head coach. He just completed his second year at LRU after coming there after a 12-year stint at California (Pa.).
The other six men profiled on the LRU sports website as football staff are: Aaron Brock, Arketa Banks plus graduate assistants Jawan Turner, Aaron Terry, Cameron Clark and Michael DeStephens.
Brock has been at LRU for nine seasons and is assistant head coach for operations and academic coordinator. He took that position after serving three years as athletic director in Three Rivers Public Schools in Michigan.
Banks, who came to LRU from Western Carolina, has completed five years with the Bears. He is director of high school relations, coordinates in-state recruiting and coaches wide receivers.
Turner, a California (Pa.) grad, has coached outside linebackers for LRU for one season, while Terry, also a California (Pa.) grad, coached defensive backs this season.
Clark, who works with LRU’s offensive linemen, came to Hickory from Ferrum (Va.), and DeStephens is a former Bears punter who works with the special teams.
The next head coach hired by the Bears will be their fourth in eight years. Since Jack Huss guided the Bears for six years and then John Perry for seven and Charlie Forbes for six, no head coach has stayed for more than five seasons. Bill Hart and Wayne Hicks each coached the Bears for five years.
Former Duke head coach Fred Goldsmith was at LRU for four seasons, Houston stayed for three years before taking the head-coaching job at The Citadel (he is now head coach at James Madison) and Shields and Kellar were each with the Bears for two years.