Ashland University head football coach Lee Owens is entering his 13th season leading the Eagles in 2016, but he is adding another title to the top of his resume this year, as well.
On Tuesday (Jan. 12) afternoon, Owens was introduced as the president of the American Football Coaches Association for 2016, moving up from second vice-president of the AFCA.
"It's a tribute, number one, to Ashland University," Owens said. "There's only two Division II head coaches on the board, and there's a bunch of Division II schools. The fact that I was at Ashland University and in the GLIAC was a big consideration when the coaches voted.
"Personally, just to have the opportunity to serve a profession that has meant so much to me for so many years, it's important."
In 2015, Owens led the Eagles to a 10-0 regular-season record and a 10-1 overall mark, including three home wins against nationally-ranked teams, and their fourth NCAA Division II postseason appearance in his 12 seasons. He also led AU to its highest-ever ranking of No. 3 in the AFCA Division II Top 25 poll.
Following the season, Owens earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Football Co-Coach of the Year and AFCA Division II Region 3 Coach of the Year honors.
Owens is 89-42 (.679) at Ashland, with a pair of GLIAC titles and three GLIAC Coach of the Year honors to his credit.
Owens was elected to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2007. He has been an active member of the association, serving on several committees, and is the chairman of the AFCA Division II Coaches' All-America Team Selection committee.
Owens is the third Ohio-based coach to be president of the AFCA this decade, following Cincinnati's Tommy Tuberville (2015) and Mount Union's Larry Kehres (2010). The distinction isn't lost on Owens, whose entire coaching career – college and high school – since 1977 has been spent in the Buckeye State.
"The state of Ohio has always been so well represented in our association," Owens said.
Owens becoming AFCA president very much is a full-circle moment. He was an assistant coach at Ohio State when head coach John Cooper served in the same capacity in 1992, and Cooper is in San Antonio, Texas, at the AFCA Convention to receive the 2016 Amos Alonzo Stagg Award – at a luncheon Owens will emcee.
"I remember going to the banquet where he presided," said Owens, "and you think about that and the impression that it made. I looked at the position that he held at that time. But I really think it was that particular evening with coach Cooper that the seed was planted.
"We've got to continue to tell the story about the positives of our game, and we've got to continue to do the things we need to do to make the changes we need to make to protect our game. For the next year…I get a chance to help be a spokesperson for that. As long as I coach, I would like to continue to serve."
List of AFCA Presidents
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1921 Maj. Charles D. Daly, U.S. Military Academy (Chair) |
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1969 Paul Dietzel, University of South Carolina |
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1922 Maj. Charles D. Daly, U.S. Military Academy |
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1970 Frank Broyles, University of Arkansas |
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1923 John W. Heisman, University of Pennsylvania |
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1971 Earle Edwards, North Carolina State University |
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1924 John W. Heisman, Rice Institute |
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1972 Paul Bryant, University of Alabama |
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1925 Robert Zuppke, University of Illinois |
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1973 John McKay, University of Southern California |
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1926 Gilmour Dobie, Cornell University |
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1974 Bob Blackman, University of Illinois |
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1927 William H. Cowell, University of New Hampshire |
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1975 Darrell Royal, University of Texas |
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1928 William W. Roper, Princeton University |
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1976 Eddie Robinson, Grambling State University |
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1929 Hugo Bezdek, Pennsylvania State College |
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1977 Ben Martin, U.S. Air Force Academy |
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1930 W.A. Alexander, Georgia Tech |
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1978 Carmen Cozza, Yale University |
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1931 John F. Meehan, Manhattan College |
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1979 Charles McClendon, Louisiana State University |
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1932 Dr. Marvin A. Stevens, Yale University |
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1980 Jerry Claiborne, University of Maryland |
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1933 D.E. McGugin, Vanderbilt University |
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1981 Harold "Tubby" Raymond, University of Delaware |
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1934 Dana X. Bible, University of Nebraska |
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1982 Jim Ostendarp, Amherst College |
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1935 B.W. Bierman, University of Minnesota |
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1983 Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan |
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1936 D.O. McLaughry, Brown University |
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1984 Dave Maurer, Wittenberg University |
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1937 Harry Kipke, University of Michigan |
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1985 Vince Dooley, University of Georgia |
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1938 Harry A. Stuhldreher, University of Wisconsin |
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1986 Vic Rowen, San Francisco State University |
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1939 Lou Little, Columbia University |
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1987 LaVell Edwards, Brigham Young University |
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1940 A.N. McMillin, Indiana University |
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1988 Joe Restic, Harvard University |
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1941 Fritz Crisler, University of Michigan |
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1989 Don James, University of Washington |
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1942 Madison Bell, Southern Methodist University |
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1990 John Majors, University of Tennessee |
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1943 Madison Bell, Southern Methodist University |
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1991 Bill Manlove, Widener University |
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1944 Ray Morrison, Temple University |
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1992 John Cooper, Ohio State University |
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1945 Ray Morrison, Temple University |
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1993 Hayden Fry, University of Iowa |
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1946 Richard C. Harlow, Harvard University |
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1994 Ron Schipper, Central College |
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1947 E.E. Wieman, University of Maine |
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1995 Billy Joe, Florida A&M University |
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1948 Harvey Harman, Rutgers University |
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1996 Fisher DeBerry, U.S. Air Force Academy |
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1949 L.R. Meyer, Texas Christian University |
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1997 Don Nehlen, West Virginia University |
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1950 Lynn O. Waldorf, University of California |
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1998 Roy Kidd, Eastern Kentucky University |
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1951 Lloyd P. Jordan, Harvard University |
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1999 Rocky Rees, Shippensburg University |
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1952 Carl G. Snavely, University of North Carolina |
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2000 Bob Ford, University at Albany |
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1953 Don Faurot, University of Missouri |
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2001 Joe Taylor, Hampton University |
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1954 George A. Munger, University of Pennsylvania |
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2002 Glen Mason, University of Minnesota |
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1955 Ray Eliot, University of Illinois |
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2003 Phil Fulmer, University of Tennessee |
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1956 Jess C. Neely, Rice Institute |
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2004 Ken Hatfield, Rice University |
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1957 George K. James, Cornell University |
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2005 Scot Dapp, Moravian College |
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1958 Charles B. Wilkinson, University of Oklahoma |
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2006 Mel Tjeerdsma, Northwest Missouri State University |
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1959 Wallace Butts, University of Georgia |
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2007 Ken Sparks, Carson-Newman College |
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1960 Charles A. Engle, Pennsylvania State University |
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2008 Tyrone Willingham, University of Washington |
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1961 Jack C. Curtice, Stanford University |
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2009 Dick Tomey, San Jose State University |
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1962 William D. Murray, Duke University |
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2010 Larry Kehres, University of Mount Union |
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1963 Woody Hayes, Ohio State University |
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2011 Rob Ash, Montana State University |
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1964 Len Casanova, University of Oregon |
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2012 Tim Murphy, Harvard University |
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1965 Abe Martin, Texas Christian University |
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2013 Mack Brown, University of Texas |
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1966 Dan Jessee, Trinity College |
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2014 Mike Welch, Ithaca College |
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1967 Ben Schwartzwalder, Syracuse University |
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2015 Tommy Tuberville, Cincinnati |
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1968 Murray Warmath, University of Minnesota |
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2016 Lee Owens, Ashland |
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