Since his days as a college quarterback at Bowling Green in 1955, Nehlen has had only one losing year when the 1970 BG team experienced a 2-6-1 record. His "football participation" record in the last 20 years comes out to 127 wins and only 55 losses. In 1958, he started his career as reserve football coach at Mansfield Senior High School. The next year found him appointed to the head coaching position at Canton South High School where his teams won 24, lost 11, and tied 2 in four seasons. In 1963, he became backfield coach at the University of Cincinnati under Chuck Studley. The Bearcats were 6-4 and co-champs of the Missouri Valley Conference. Two of Nehlen's backs, QB Brig Owens (Redskins) and HB Al Nelson (Eagles) went on to play in the NFL. The next season took Nehlen back to Canton as head coach at McKinley High School. The Bulldogs promptly went 9-1 to finish second in the state to Massillon. Nehlen's five-year high school head coaching record stands at 33-12-2. Nehlen returned to his alma mater in 1965 and became BG's defensive coordinator for three seasons under Coach Bob Gibson. His units yielded only 361 points in 28 games for an average of slightly under 13 points a game. His teams recorded six shutouts. The Falcons went 19-9-0 those three seasons and the 1965 team tied for the MAC championship. A 1954 graduate of Canton Lincoln High School, Nehlen letter- ed for two years as a quarterback and landed all-city and all-county honors. He also earned a total of seven letters in basketball and baseball and was voted the outstanding athlete in Lincoln's In 20 years of being associated with football since graduating class. As a quarterback for Bowling Green during the 1955, 1956 and he became a college freshman, Bowling Green's head 1957 seasons, Nehlen engineered the Falcons to a 21-2-4 record. The football coach Don Nehlen has been a part of a 1956 team won the MAC championship and the other two squads winning team in 19 of those seasons. finished second. Nehlen won all-MAC second team honors in 1956 As he enters his ninth season as a head college and 1957. He also played baseball for two seasons and was elected captain as a junior. coach at Bowling Green, it would follow that he is Nehlen was graduated from Bowling Green in 1958 with a regarded as one of the winningest coaches in major- bachelor of science degree in education. He earned his master's college football. In fact, the NCAA record book lists degree at Kent State in 1965. the 40-year-old coach as No. 24 on the list of active He is married to the former Merry Ann Chopson. The Nehlen's have a son, Danny, 16, and a daughter, Vicky, 14 . . . Born in major-college head coaches with five or more years Canton, Ohio, 1-1-36. of service as a major-college coach. Don's .604 percentage and 47-30-4 record is based on seven winning seasons and aided by last year's 8-3 A LOOK AT DON'S RECORD record which was Bowling Green's best football mark (127-55-10) in a decade. Nehlen is known as the "Master of the Upset." He AS A COLLEGE PLAYER has the reputation of doing the impossible. Just ask Year School Position Coach W L T Purdue, which got shocked, 17-14, in 1972; Syracuse, 1955 Bowling Green QB Doyt Perry 7 1 1 which was beaten, 41-14, in 1973; San Diego State, 1956 Bowling Green QB Doyt Perry *8 0 1 which escaped with a 21-21 tie in 1974, and Brigham 1957 Bowling Green QB Doyt Perry 6 12 TOTALS Young, which fell by a 23-21 count in 1975. 21 2 4 MAC Champs Four times in the last seven years, Nehlen's Bowling Green teams have come within one game of winning AS A HIGH SCHOOL HEAD COACH the Mid-American Conference football championship. 1959 Canton South 4 4 1 In 1971 and 1972, the Big Orange compiled 7-2-1 1960 Canton South 5 4 0 overall marks that produced two seconds in the MAC 1961 Canton South 6 2 1 and a two-time runner-up for MAC Coach-of-the-Year 1962 Canton South 9 1 0 1%4 Canton McKinley *9 1 0 honors. TOTALS 33 12 2 Maybe it's true that nice guys finish second, but *2nd in Ohio Nehlen would like to wind up first some of the time. He got a taste of the top in 1972 when the Falcons AS A COLLEGE ASSISTANT COACH upset Purdue, 17-14, and he was honored as Coach- 1963 Cincinnati Off. Backs Chuck Studley *6 A 0 Of-The-Week by United Press International. Nehlen 1965 Bowling Green Def. Coor. Bob Gibson *7 2 0 also was selected as an assistant coach in 1972 and 1966 Bowling Green Def. Coor. Bob Gibson 6 3 0 1967 Bowling Green Def. Coor. Bob Gibson 1973 for the All-Ohio Shrine Bowl. 7 2 0 TOTALS 26 11 0 *Leag je Champions Nation's Winningest Coaches AS A COLLEGE HEAD COACH MAC OVERALL (Active Major-College Coaches) 1968 Bowling Green 3-2-1 Third 6 3 1 Yrs. Won Lost ried Pet. 1969 Bowling Green 4-1 Second 6 4 0 #1 )oe Paterno, Penn State 10 94 18 1 .836 1970 Bowling Creen 1-4 Fifth 2 6 1 1971 Bowling Green 4-1 Second 6 4 0 #2 Bo Schembechler, Michigan 13 106 26 6 .790 1972 Bowling Green 3-1-1 Second 6 3 1 #5 Woody Hayes, Ohio State 30 213 63 8 .764 1973 Bowling Green 2-3 Third 7 3 0 #9 Bill Mallory, Colorado 7 53 21 0 .716 1974 Bowling Green 2-3 Fourth 6 4 1 #23 Joe Yukica, Boston College 10 61 38 0 .616 1975 Bowling Green 4-2 Third 8 3 0 #24 Don Nehlen, Bowling Green 8 47 30 4 .604 TOTALS 23-17-2 47 30 4
14/BOWLING GREEN