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University of Dayton football great Rick Chamberlin enters his second as the Flyers' head coach after a debut season that left UD just six points away from another Pioneer Football League Championship. Dayton finished 9-3 in 2008, the school's 17th season of nine wins or more in the last 25 years. And while Chamberlin continued Dayton's pursuit of excellence on the field, he raised its already strong level of community service to a new level off the field. During the 2008 campaign, Chamberlin instituted "Loose Change," a program where any turnover gained by the Flyers resulted in a $50 donation to Catholic Social Services. The promotion resulted in more than $1,500 donated to the charity. During the 2009 spring practice season, the Flyer football team conducted a Lift-A-Thon to benefit breast cancer research. After setting a goal of $2,000, the Flyers presented a check for $12,025 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation at halftime of the annual spring game. In 2009, UD will conduct "Touchdowns for Tots" benefitting the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program. Academically, the University of Dayton football program also reached new heights. Four Flyer football players -- Bart Bergfeld, Brandon Wingeier, Sean Heenan and Patrick McCormick - were named ESPN Academic All-Americans. The four Flyers named are the most for the UD football program in a single season. Bergfeld and Wingeier were named to the first team, while Heenan and McCormick were on the second team. In addition, UD placed 13 football players on the Academic All-District IV Team, the most of any team in the country. In the district, the 13 Flyers named to the first and second teams were more than twice as many as the next team, Ohio State, who had six. Chamberlin was named the Dayton head football coach on January 23, 2008 in a press conference held at the University of Dayton Arena. A 1980 UD graduate and a member of the University's Athletic Hall of Fame, he succeeded Mike Kelly, who announced one day earlier that he was stepping down. "Rick Chamberlin is the clear choice to succeed Mike Kelly as head football coach of the Dayton Flyers," then-Dayton Vice-President and Director of Athletics Ted Kissell said at the press conference. "You can expect him to continue the values and identity of the program, but you will learn that Rick is his very much his own man. Coach Chamberlin has the right experience and a passion for UD that is unmatched. Rick Chamberlin exhibits the energy, confidence and sense of purpose of a strong leader. Our football program is in good hands." Chamberlin is the 23rd head football coach since the program began in 1905. He is the first of the 11 modern era coaches to have lettered for the Flyers, and the second to be a graduate of the University of Dayton (Pete Ankney was the first when he coached in 1963 and 1964). "It's an honor to be selected the University of Dayton head football coach," Chamberlin said. "I'm excited about the opportunity and the challenge of keeping this program at the high level of respect it has achieved. The foundation of this program is strong. So many new coaches take over programs that are in poor shape or need a new identity. Our program is not like those, and I'm looking forward building on what already exists." Chamberlin, 52, had been on the Flyer coaching staff for 28 seasons before being named head coach. First as linebackers coach and then as defensive coordinator, Chamberlin helped mold the Dayton D's reputation for its preparation and execution as a unit. Under Chamberlin's guidance as an assistant and now as a head coach, the Flyers have led the Pioneer Football League in scoring defense the last eight seasons, including finishing second in NCAA Division I-AA (9.8) in 2002, third (14.1) in 2005, fourth in FCS in 2007 (15.6) and fifth in 2008 (15.3). In 2004, Dayton led NCAA Division I-AA football in total defense (263.10). Last year, the Flyers were second in rushing defense (60.7). One of the hallmarks of the Dayton defense in the last four decades has been great play at linebacker. Not only has Chamberlin nurtured that as a coach, but he was one of the players who started that tradition in the late 1970's. A four-year letterwinner (1975-78) for the Flyers, Chamberlin was named to the Football Coaches Association Small College All-America team. He was the third Dayton player to be named a First Team All-American, and was the first defensive player. A native of Springfield, Ohio and a 1975 graduate of Springfield North High School, Chamberlin was a three-time all-city selection and Springfield Player of the Year as a senior. In four years at Dayton, he was credited with 385 tackles and led the team as a junior (115) and senior (121). He was the first two-time winner of the Chief Toscani Hitter Award and a member of UD's first NCAA Division III Playoff team in 1978. He was inducted into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989. "He is the real story," said Chamberlin's coach, Mike Kelly. "Here's a guy who went to college to play football, became a graduate assistant, an assistant coach, then a very successful defensive coordinator and now a head coach - all at the same institution. He understands the tradition of the Dayton football program, and the culture. Rick is a player's coach. They love to play for him." Chamberlin is a 1980 UD graduate with a degree in health and physical education. He earned his master's degree in counselor education at UD in 1982. Rick and his wife Jayne live in Kettering. They have two sons, Jason and Tyler, who both graduated from UD. |
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