Head Coach Tim Landis
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HEAD COACH TIM LANDIS THE TIM LANDIS FILE • PERSONAL Birthdate: July 14, 1964 Wife: Karen Children: Son, T.J., 13; Daughter, Jordan, 4; Son, Jack, 2 • EDUCATION The Hun School, Princeton, N.J., 1982 Randolph-Macon College, B.A. in English, 1986 • HEAD COACHING CAREER Year School W L T Pct. 2004 Bucknell 7 4 0 .636 2003 Bucknell 6 6 0 .500 2002 St. Mary’s (Calif.) 6 6 0 .500 2001 St. Mary’s (Calif.) 6 5 0 .545 2000 St. Mary’s (Calif.) 6 5 0 .545 1999 Davidson 8 3 0 .727 1998 Davidson 8 2 0 .800 1997 Davidson 3 8 0 .273 1996 Davidson 6 4 0 .600 1995 Davidson 1 8 1 .150 1994 Davidson 3 7 0 .300 aving already resurrected programs at 1993 Davidson 6 4 0 .600 Davidson and St. Mary’s, Tim Landis ar- TOTALS 66 62 1 .516 Hrived at Bucknell in December 2002 to take over a football program that was undergoing • OTHER COACHING EXPERIENCE a trying period. 1986 Randolph-Macon Wide Receivers Coach As Landis’ fi rst spring practice approached, 1988-90 Morrisville (Pa.) H.S. Head Coach the Bison were still coping with the death of 1991-92 Davidson Defensive Line Coach legendary head coach Tom Gadd, and they proud history of football is the culmination of son the year after his departure to St. Mary’s. were still tasting the bitterness of a 2-9 re- a lifelong dream of mine.” Prior to Landis’ arrival, Davidson had enjoyed cord that ended a school-record run of seven “Not only has Tim Landis shown that just one winning campaign since 1980, but straight winning seasons. he is an outstanding football coach, but he the Wildcats promptly went 6-4 in 1993 under But under Landis’ leadership, pride was has achieved an impressive track record of the then fi rst-year coach, and they would go quickly restored in the program, and the Bi- recruiting and developing student-athletes on to enjoy four winning seasons in his seven son turned in a very respectable 6-6 record at highly selective academic institutions,” years at the North Carolina institution. (three of the six losses came by a combined said director of athletics and recreation John Landis, who has a career head coaching six points), including a 4-3 mark in the Patriot Hardt. “Bucknell places great emphasis on record of 66-62-1, was very familiar with League. Not bad for a team picked to fi nish developing the highest caliber student-ath- Bucknell and the Patriot League, having dead last in the preseason coaches poll. letes, both on and off the playing fi eld, and coached against league teams at both Da- In fact, Bucknell tied the league record for we believe that Coach Landis is a perfect fi t vidson and St. Mary’s. The Bison and Gaels biggest one-season turnaround with a four- to lead our football program and successfully game improvement over the 0-7 PL record build on our established traditions.” of 2002. Following a seven-year tenure as head Landis’ Bison built on that success last coach at Davidson College, Landis spent the season, fi nishing strong with four straight previous three seasons building a winning victories to post a 7-4 season and a second program at St. Mary’s (Calif.) College. In both straight third-place fi nish. Now, with many of positions, he garnered national accolades his young recruits looking to play prominent for turning modestly successful programs roles in 2005, Bucknell should be a strong into winners. contender for its first Patriot League title Upon his arrival at St. Mary’s in the spring since 1996. of 2000, the Gaels had been just 4-17 over Upon his hiring, Landis, 41, brought to the the previous two seasons. Landis quickly Bison football program an impressive cache forged a 6-5 season in his fi rst year at the of head coaching experience at the Division Moraga, Calif., school, marking the program’s I-AA level. He became Bucknell’s 25th head best one-year turnaround since football was football coach since the program’s inception reinstated at St. Mary’s in 1967. The Gaels in 1883. fi nished 6-5 again in 2001 and 6-6 in 2002, “I have worked a very long time in this and Landis was twice honored as the Division profession to earn a tremendous opportunity I-AA Independent Coach of the Year. such as this,” said Landis at the time of his Landis helped Davidson to a school-record hiring. “To coach at a quality educational in- eight victories in both 1998 and 1999, while stitution like Bucknell that also has a long and laying the groundwork for a perfect 10-0 sea- 2005 Bucknell Football • 26 • www.BucknellBison.com HEAD COACH TIM LANDIS Landis’ trademark spread option offensive attack put BISON LEADERSHIP up 2,908 ground yards in his fi rst year at Bucknell, miss- COUNCIL ing the school record by just • Bison head coach Tim Landis feels that a a single yard while fi nishing major part of any successful football program is 10th nationally in rushing communication. In an effort to maintain those offense. In 2004 Bucknell lines of communication as broadly as possible, fi nished eighth in Division I- Landis has instituted the Bison Leadership AA in ground yards, averaging Council, continuing a program he developed 251.8 per game. in previous head coaching stints at Davidson Also last season Landis and St. Mary’s. coached defensive end Sean • The Bison Leadership Council is made up Conover to Second Team All- of two student-athletes from each of the four America and Patriot League classes. They are elected positions, with each Defensive Player of the Year class voting for its own representatives. honors. Daris Wilson shat- • The Council meets with Landis on a tered Bucknell and PL records A native of Yardley, Pa., and a 1982 gradu- weekly basis throughout the season, giving the for rushing yards by a quarterback in a game, ate of The Hun School in Princeton, N.J., Lan- players a forum to provide valuable feedback season and career, and he became the fi rst dis went on to earn a bachelor of arts degree on a myriad of football-related matters. Bison QB to earn fi rst-team all-conference in English from Randolph-Macon College in honors in nine years. Electric return specialist 1986. A First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Dante Ross earned PL Special Teams Player Conference honoree both as a quarterback of the Year plaudits. in football and a pitcher in baseball, Landis Team Captains Landis is quick to stress hard work in the was inducted into the Randolph-Macon Ath- • Unlike many other programs, Bucknell classroom as well, and last year his team letic Hall of Fame in 2000 and earned the elects its team captains during preseason camp. set a league record with 26 players on the school’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in This way, Tim Landis feels, those that are Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. His February 2005. playing the best football, and those that have team posted a combined 3.12 grade-point He was the ODAC Baseball Player of the demonstrated the best leadership qualities, are average in the spring 2005 semester, while Year in 1986, and he also earned the school’s the players that are most likely to be selected Justin Gibson earned national Academic All- Compton Award for excellence in academics as team captains. One offensive player and one defensive player will be selected, while America honors. and athletics. In May 2002, he was inducted a weekly special teams captain will be picked In his fi rst season at St. Mary’s the Gaels into The Hun School’s Hall of Fame. throughout the season. ranked fourth nationally in rushing at 309.5 Landis took his initial steps into the coach- yards per game and 24th nationally in total ing profession in 1986, when he remained at offense at 434.4. The team broke school re- Randolph-Macon to coach his alma mater’s cords for total yards (4778) and touchdowns wide receivers. In 1988, he began a three- COMMUNITY SERVICE (50) in a season. Defensively, the Gaels were year stint as head football and baseball coach • Tim Landis is a big believer in building equally opportunistic, ranking 12th in Divi- at Morrisville (Pa.) High School, where he led positive relationships through community sion I-AA in turnovers forced (32). St. Mary’s the grid squad to an 8-2 record in 1989, a service. In just his first two years at Bucknell, also ranked fourth in the country in rushing state ranking and coach of the year honors by Landis and his team have participated in sev- offense in 2001 and fi fth in 2002. the Bucks County Courier Times, the Bicenten- eral community events, including the annual At St. Mary’s, Landis coached an Associ- nial Athletic League and the Independence Family Funfest, a cleanup day at Lewisburg’s ated Press First Team All-American in defen- Football League. He also guided the baseball Little League baseball complex and the Light sive end Travis White, and he mentored a team to a league title and served as director the Night Walk, which raises funds and aware- total of seven Academic All-District honorees of athletics during his fi nal two years. ness for leukemia and other forms of cancer. in three years. Landis returned to the collegiate level in For more on the Bison’s community activities, In his fi nal season at Davidson, the Wild- 1991, when he was hired as an assistant at please visit pp.