Elmhurst hires rival's assistant
Elmhurst has named Tim Lester head football coach. Lester becomes the 17th head coach in school history, taking over for Tom Journell, who resigned last month to take the defensive coordinator position at UW-Stevens Point. Lester is certainly no stranger to the Bluejays' football program. He began his collegiate coaching career at Elmhurst in 2002 and spent two seasons as the Bluejays' offensive coordinator. Lester's offensive units broke 11 school records and the 2003 squad averaged more than 395 yards and more than 30 points per game. "I'm thrilled to be coming back to Elmhurst College," said Lester. "Elmhurst gave me my first opportunity in coaching and it has held a special place for me ever since. I'm excited to have the opportunity to come back and finish what we started." Originally from Wheaton, Ill., Lester attended Wheaton Warrenville South and was a member of the state title team in 1992. He quarterbacked the Tigers to back-to-back conference titles in 1993 and 1994 before becoming one of the most prolific passers in NCAA history. A 2000 graduate of Western Michigan with a bachelor's degree in mathematics, Lester rewrote the school's record book. He finished his career as Western Michigan's all-time leading passer and set 17 school records. Lester wrapped up his career ranked fifth in NCAA history in passing yards (11,299) and seventh in touchdown passes (89). Lester played professionally in the AFL, af2 and XFL. After his two-year coaching stint with the Bluejays, Lester served as head coach of Saint Joseph's (Ind.) during the 2004 season. He led the Division II program to a 7-4 finish, its second-best record ever. With Lester's guidance, the Pumas turned in a five-game improvement from the previous season and broke seven school records. Lester returned to Western Michigan where he served as the quarterback's coach for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and spent last season as defensive coordinator at North Central. The Cardinals' defense finished the season ranked 18th in the nation in rushing defense (88.1 yards per game), 12th in interceptions (21), 17th in turnovers gained (33), and 18th in sacks (3.33 per game). Lester inherits a team that has posted three consecutive winning seasons with identical 6-4 records. The Bluejays return 11 starters (seven on offense, four on defense) from the 2007 squad. With the start of the season right around the corner, Lester is excited about the work that lies ahead. "There's a lot of work that goes into being successful in the CCIW," he said. "We'll have to get our system installed, and familiarize our players with it before the season-opening contest, but, I know that our players possess the talent to help our team reach the next level. If our players buy into our system, then I believe we'll be able to build a program that can consistently challenge for a CCIW title." | |
| Permalink | Jul 14, 2008 | |
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