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Rich Lackner

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American football player and coach (born 1956)

Rich Lackner
Biographical details
Born (1956-07-28) July 28, 1956 (age 68)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1975–1978Carnegie Mellon
Position(s)Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1981Carnegie Mellon (LB)
1982–1983Carnegie Mellon (OL)
1984–1985Carnegie Mellon (OC/OL)
1986–2021Carnegie Mellon
Head coaching record
Overall234–125–2
Bowls3–4
Tournaments1–2 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 PAC (1989, 2021)
8 UAA (1990–1991, 1993–1997, 2006)
Awards
5× UAA Coach of the Year (1990–1991, 1993, 1997, 2006)
Bob Prince Award (2003)
All-South Region Coach of the Year (2006)

Rich Lackner (born July 28, 1956) is an American former college football coach. He is served as the head football coach at Carnegie Mellon University from 1986 to 2021, compiling a record of 234–125–2.

Playing career

A Pittsburgh native, Lackner graduated with honors from Mt. Lebanon High School, one of Pennsylvania's perennial high school football powers. As a senior, he led Mt. Lebanon to the WPIAL Class AAA title game with a 9–2 record.

Lackner had an exceptional athletic and academic career at Carnegie Mellon. A four-year starter at linebacker, he was a three-time All-Presidents' Athletic Conference pick as well as the PAC's 1976 Defensive Player-of-the-Year. In 1978, Lackner was named to the Pittsburgh Press All-District Team and received a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dapper Dan Award. Also a model student, he was twice named an Academic All-American.

During his playing career, Carnegie Mellon had a four-year mark of 28–7–1 and won PAC titles in 1977 and 1978. The Tartans advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs in 1978, marking their first postseason appearance since the 1939 Sugar Bowl.

Coaching career

Following his 1979 graduation from Carnegie Mellon with a bachelor's degree in history, Lackner remained with head coach Chuck Klausing as an assistant coach. Seven years later, Lackner was named head coach when Klausing left to join Mike Gottfried's staff at the University of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Mellon

Named head coach in 1986, Lackner directed the Tartans to nine conference championships and three NCAA playoff berths. Lackner passed Walter Steffen, who guided Carnegie Tech to an 88–53–8 mark from 1914 to 1932, as the winningest coach in school history on September 19, 1998 when the Tartans defeated Bethany College, 38–7.

Carnegie Mellon rose to unprecedented prominence in the University Athletic Association (UAA) under Lackner. The Tartans own eight UAA titles and have an impressive conference record of 45–16 (.738). Lackner was named the UAA Coach of the Year five times, in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, and, most recently, in 2006 after leading the Tartans to an 11–1 season, the most wins in school history and their sixth appearance in the NCAA playoffs. He was also named All-South Region Coach of the Year by D3football.com in 2006. In May 2003, Lackner was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the Bob Prince Award during the Catholic Youth Organization's 29th annual dinner.

Family

Lackner and his late wife, Cindy, have two children, Nick, who is a graduate of John Carroll University and holds a MSc degree from Columbia University, and Kimberly, who is a 2005 graduate of Carnegie Mellon.

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (Presidents' Athletic Conference) (1986–1989)
1986 Carnegie Mellon 6–3 4–2 T–2nd
1987 Carnegie Mellon 7–2–1 4–2 3rd
1988 Carnegie Mellon 5–4–1 2–3–1 T–4th
1989 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 4–1 T–1st
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (University Athletic Association) (1990–2013)
1990 Carnegie Mellon 10–1 4–0 1st L NCAA Division III First Round
1991 Carnegie Mellon 9–1 4–0 1st
1992 Carnegie Mellon 7–2 3–1
1993 Carnegie Mellon 8–2 4–0 1st
1994 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1995 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1996 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1997 Carnegie Mellon 8–2 4–0 1st
1998 Carnegie Mellon 7–3
1999 Carnegie Mellon 8–3 W ECAC
2000 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2001 Carnegie Mellon 7–2
2002 Carnegie Mellon 5–5
2003 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2004 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2005 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2006 Carnegie Mellon 11–1 3–0 1st L NCAA Division III Second Round
2007 Carnegie Mellon 7–4 2–1 W ECAC Southwest
2008 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2009 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2010 Carnegie Mellon 4–6 0–3 4th
2011 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2012 Carnegie Mellon 6–5 1–2 3rd L ECAC Southwest
2013 Carnegie Mellon 3–7 0–3 4th
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (Presidents' Athletic Conference) (2014–2021)
2014 Carnegie Mellon 4–6 3–5 T–7th
2015 Carnegie Mellon 8–3 6–2 T–3rd W ECAC Legacy Bowl
2016 Carnegie Mellon 7–4 6–2 T–3rd L ECAC Legacy Bowl
2017 Carnegie Mellon 7–4 5–3 T–4th L ECAC Asa S. Bushnell Bowl
2018 Carnegie Mellon 6–4 5–4 T–5th
2019 Carnegie Mellon 8–3 7–2 T–2nd L ECAC Scotty Whitelaw Bowl
2020–21 Carnegie Mellon 2–2 1–2 T–6th
2021 Carnegie Mellon 8–2 8–1 T–1st C NCAA Division III First Round
Carnegie Mellon: 234–125–2
Total: 234–125–2
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

See also

Notes

  1. Carnegie Mellon advanced to the NCAA Division III Football Championship playoffs in 2021, but withdrew from the tournament the day before their first round game against North Central (IL) due to a number of positive COVID-19 tests among members of the team.

References

  1. "Carnegie Mellon's NCAA First Round Football Game at North Central Declared No Contest". Carnegie Mellon University Athletics. November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2021.

External links

Carnegie Mellon Tartans head football coaches
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