Six New Head Coaches Named to the AFCA Board of Trustees
January 10, 2022
Penn State University head coach James Franklin, Coastal Carolina University head coach Jamey Chadwell, Wake Forest University head coach Dave Clawson, UTEP head coach Dana Dimel, Kennesaw State University head coach Brian Bohannon and Iowa Western Community College head coach Scott Strohmeier have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Those head coaches were elected by members attending the 2022 AFCA Convention today. Franklin will represent the Big Ten, Chadwell will represent the Sun Belt, Clawson will represent the ACC, Dimel will represent Conference USA, Bohannon will be an FCS representative while Strohmeier will be an ex officio member of the board and represent junior college football.
RELATED ARTICLE: Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell Named 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year
Those coaches will join a group of distinguished head coaches who guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others. Returning members of the AFCA Board of Trustees include incoming president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, first vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University, second vice-president Jeff McMartin of Central College (Iowa); and third vice-president Paul Winters of Wayne State University (Mich.).
Also serving on the Board in 2022 are: Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside University; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Neal Brown, West Virginia University; Sam Pittman, University of Arkansas; Tim Lester, Western Michigan University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; and Michael Christensen, Carson (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
Franklin completed his eighth season at Penn State by guiding the Nittany Lions to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Outback Bowl. He has a record of 67-34 at Penn State and an overall record of 91-49 including his three seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt. Franklin led Penn State to a Big Ten title and appearance in the Rose Bowl in 2016 and has recorded three 11-win seasons with the Nittany Lions. Under Franklin’s direction, Penn State has finished in the top 12 in the final College Football Playoff rankings in four of the last six seasons and has earned berths in three New Year’s Six bowl games with two wins. He had back-to-back 9-4 seasons at Vanderbilt in 2012 and 2013, with bowl appearances in all three years as head coach.
Chadwell led Coastal Carolina to an 11-2 record in 2021 and the program’s first-ever bowl game victory in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl. He has been the full-time head coach for three seasons and was the interim head coach in 2017. Chadwell has a 30-19 record in his four seasons with the Chanticleers and has an overall record of 90-54 including his stops at North Greenville, Delta State and Charleston Southern. He led Coastal to a Sun Belt Conference title in 2020 and a 11-1 record. In his four years as the head coach at Charleston Southern, Chadwell guided the Buccaneers to 2 Big South Conference titles and two appearances in the FCS playoffs, making the quarterfinal round in 2015. In his final season at North Greenville in 2011, the Crusaders went 11-3 and made a quarterfinal run in the Division II playoffs.
Clawson led Wake Forest to new heights in 2021, guiding the Demon Deacons to double-digit wins for only the second time in program history. The Demon Deacons finished with a 11-3 record, the ACC Atlantic Division title and a victory in the Gator Bowl. Clawson is 51-48 in his eight seasons as head coach at Wake Forest. He is now the only head coach in NCAA history to win 10 games or more in a single season at four different Division I programs. Clawson was the head coach at Fordham from 1999 to 2003, leading the Rams to a Patriot League title and the FCS playoffs in 2002 with a 10-3 mark. He moved on to Richmond from 2004 to 2007, leading the Spiders to 2 conference titles and two trips to the FCS playoffs. He got his first FBS head coaching post at Bowling Green in 2009, helping the Falcons to three bowl game appearances and a Mid-American Conference title in 2013.
Dimel guided UTEP to an historic season in 2021, going 7-6 with an appearance in the PUBG MOBILE New Mexico Bowl. Their seven victories are the most since 2014 and the bowl game appearance was the first since 2014 as well. This was Dimel’s fourth season at UTEP and he has increased his win total each year over the past three seasons. He started his head coaching career in 1997 at Wyoming, winning at least seven games in each of his three years as head coach. Dimel then spent three years as the head coach at Houston before working as an assistant at Kansas State and Arizona until he became head coach at UTEP in 2018.
Bohannan completed his seventh season as head coach at Kennesaw State and led the Owls to a 11-2 record, the Big South Conference title and a second-round appearance in the FCS playoffs. He has an overall record of 63-18 and those 63 victories tied Bohannon for the Big South record for career wins by a head coach. He earned AFCA Regional and National Coach of the Year honors in 2017 after guiding Kennesaw State to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals. If you exclude the shortened 2021 spring season, Bohannon has led the Owls to 11 or more wins for four straight seasons to go along with four straight appearances in the FCS playoffs. The Owls have also won three Big South Conference titles under Bohannon.
Strohmeier had Iowa Western back in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship game in 2021, leading the Reivers to a 10-1 record and the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference title. Strohmeier is 120-25 at Iowa Western since starting the program in 2009. He has led the Reivers to three NJCAA national championship game appearances, winning the national title in 2012. Strohmeier is a two-time American Community College Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year (2012 and 2017) and was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame this past December. He started his head coaching career at North Iowa Area Community College in 2005, leading the Trojans to the post-season in 2006 and 2007.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Penn State University head coach James Franklin, Coastal Carolina University head coach Jamey Chadwell, Wake Forest University head coach Dave Clawson, UTEP head coach Dana Dimel, Kennesaw State University head coach Brian Bohannon and Iowa Western Community College head coach Scott Strohmeier have been elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Those head coaches were elected by members attending the 2022 AFCA Convention today. Franklin will represent the Big Ten, Chadwell will represent the Sun Belt, Clawson will represent the ACC, Dimel will represent Conference USA, Bohannon will be an FCS representative while Strohmeier will be an ex officio member of the board and represent junior college football.
RELATED ARTICLE: Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell Named 2021 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach of the Year
Those coaches will join a group of distinguished head coaches who guide the organization. The Board formulates policy and provides direction for the AFCA, which was founded in 1922 by Amos Alonzo Stagg, John Heisman and others. Returning members of the AFCA Board of Trustees include incoming president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, first vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University, second vice-president Jeff McMartin of Central College (Iowa); and third vice-president Paul Winters of Wayne State University (Mich.).
Also serving on the Board in 2022 are: Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside University; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Neal Brown, West Virginia University; Sam Pittman, University of Arkansas; Tim Lester, Western Michigan University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; and Michael Christensen, Carson (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
Franklin completed his eighth season at Penn State by guiding the Nittany Lions to a 7-6 record and an appearance in the Outback Bowl. He has a record of 67-34 at Penn State and an overall record of 91-49 including his three seasons as head coach at Vanderbilt. Franklin led Penn State to a Big Ten title and appearance in the Rose Bowl in 2016 and has recorded three 11-win seasons with the Nittany Lions. Under Franklin’s direction, Penn State has finished in the top 12 in the final College Football Playoff rankings in four of the last six seasons and has earned berths in three New Year’s Six bowl games with two wins. He had back-to-back 9-4 seasons at Vanderbilt in 2012 and 2013, with bowl appearances in all three years as head coach.
Chadwell led Coastal Carolina to an 11-2 record in 2021 and the program’s first-ever bowl game victory in the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl. He has been the full-time head coach for three seasons and was the interim head coach in 2017. Chadwell has a 30-19 record in his four seasons with the Chanticleers and has an overall record of 90-54 including his stops at North Greenville, Delta State and Charleston Southern. He led Coastal to a Sun Belt Conference title in 2020 and a 11-1 record. In his four years as the head coach at Charleston Southern, Chadwell guided the Buccaneers to 2 Big South Conference titles and two appearances in the FCS playoffs, making the quarterfinal round in 2015. In his final season at North Greenville in 2011, the Crusaders went 11-3 and made a quarterfinal run in the Division II playoffs.
Clawson led Wake Forest to new heights in 2021, guiding the Demon Deacons to double-digit wins for only the second time in program history. The Demon Deacons finished with a 11-3 record, the ACC Atlantic Division title and a victory in the Gator Bowl. Clawson is 51-48 in his eight seasons as head coach at Wake Forest. He is now the only head coach in NCAA history to win 10 games or more in a single season at four different Division I programs. Clawson was the head coach at Fordham from 1999 to 2003, leading the Rams to a Patriot League title and the FCS playoffs in 2002 with a 10-3 mark. He moved on to Richmond from 2004 to 2007, leading the Spiders to 2 conference titles and two trips to the FCS playoffs. He got his first FBS head coaching post at Bowling Green in 2009, helping the Falcons to three bowl game appearances and a Mid-American Conference title in 2013.
Dimel guided UTEP to an historic season in 2021, going 7-6 with an appearance in the PUBG MOBILE New Mexico Bowl. Their seven victories are the most since 2014 and the bowl game appearance was the first since 2014 as well. This was Dimel’s fourth season at UTEP and he has increased his win total each year over the past three seasons. He started his head coaching career in 1997 at Wyoming, winning at least seven games in each of his three years as head coach. Dimel then spent three years as the head coach at Houston before working as an assistant at Kansas State and Arizona until he became head coach at UTEP in 2018.
Bohannan completed his seventh season as head coach at Kennesaw State and led the Owls to a 11-2 record, the Big South Conference title and a second-round appearance in the FCS playoffs. He has an overall record of 63-18 and those 63 victories tied Bohannon for the Big South record for career wins by a head coach. He earned AFCA Regional and National Coach of the Year honors in 2017 after guiding Kennesaw State to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the FCS quarterfinals. If you exclude the shortened 2021 spring season, Bohannon has led the Owls to 11 or more wins for four straight seasons to go along with four straight appearances in the FCS playoffs. The Owls have also won three Big South Conference titles under Bohannon.
Strohmeier had Iowa Western back in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national championship game in 2021, leading the Reivers to a 10-1 record and the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference title. Strohmeier is 120-25 at Iowa Western since starting the program in 2009. He has led the Reivers to three NJCAA national championship game appearances, winning the national title in 2012. Strohmeier is a two-time American Community College Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year (2012 and 2017) and was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame this past December. He started his head coaching career at North Iowa Area Community College in 2005, leading the Trojans to the post-season in 2006 and 2007.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
