CoacHING staff 2011 SALUKI FOOTBALL HEAD COACH DALE LENNON North Dakota, 1983 • 15th Year as a Head Coach • 4th Season at SIU In just three seasons at Lindsey flourished under Lennon and his staff. Southern Illinois, Dale He was named an All-American three-straight The Lennon File Lennon has become one years from 2008-10, becoming just the second Personal of the most successful Saluki to ever gain All-America status in three Born ...................... Dec. 13, 1960 coaches in school separate seasons. He was also named a first Birthplace .............. Knox, N.D. history. His 25 victories team All-American in 2009 and 2010, becoming Wife ...................... Chris in three years are five just the third Saluki to be a first-team honoree Children ................ Jared (22), Trevor (20), more wins than any in back-to-back seasons. Lindsey received the .............................. Cody (17) other Saluki coach had 2010 Elite Defensive Back of the Year Award High School .......... Rugby (N.D.), 1978 through their first three from the College Football Performance Awards College: ................. North Dakota, 1983 seasons at SIU and he for his career accomplishments. Career is 25-11 (.694) overall Overall Record ...... 127-44 at Southern. The 2010 season was a challenging one, and at SIU .................... 25-11 (3 years) it was one that saw Lennon have just his third at North Dakota .... 90-24 (9 years) Lennon was named Southern Illinois’ 20th head losing season in 14 years as a head coach. It was at Mary (N.D.) ...... 12-9 (2 years) coach in program history on Dec. 27, 2007. an injury-ridden year - one where a combined National Championships: 1 70 games were missed from players on the two- 2001 - North Dakota (NCAA Division II) He guided the Salukis to back-to-back Missouri deep. The Salukis finished with a 5-6 record Playoff Record: 15-9 at Mary: 0-1 - NAIA Valley Football Conference titles and into the and a tie for third place in the MVFC with a 4-4 at North Dakota: 14-6 - NCAA Division II FCS playoffs in each of his first two seasons league mark. at Southern Illinois: 1-2 - FCS at the helm. Lennon was tabbed as the MVFC Conference Championships: 8 and AFCA Region IV Coach of the Year in His 2010 squad still found a way to knock off at Mary: 1998 - NDCAC both 2008 and 2009, joining six other previous the top teams they faced. Southern was 3-1 at North Dakota: 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, league coaches to win Coach of the Year honors against ranked teams and Lennon has an 8-4 2006 - NCC in consecutive seasons. record against the Top 25 (7-2 in regular season at Southern Illinois: 2008, 2009 - MVFC games) in his three seasons at SIU. Overtime Games: 6-3 at Mary: N/A Awards have also been plentiful for a number at North Dakota: 4-3 of Lennon’s players. Running back Deji Karim In 2009, Southern Illinois enjoyed a at Southern Illinois: 2-0 was the 2009 MVFC Offensive Player of the historic season in which it set a new Year and was one of three finalists for the MVFC record with its 14th-straight Playing Experience Walter Payton Award, which is given to conference victory, registered the RB - University of North Dakota (1979-83) the most outstanding player in the FCS. program’s fourth 10-win season Team Captain of 1983 team Karim was a sixth-round draft pick of since 2003, and won 11-straight the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2010. games - the third longest winning Coaching Experience Head Coach - Southern Illinois (2008-Pres.) streak in school history. SIU Head Coach - North Dakota (1999-07) In each of the past two seasons, became the first team in Head Coach - Mary (Bismarck, N.D.) (1997-98) linebacker Brandin Jordan league history to go 8-0 Def. Coordinator - North Dakota (1990-96) (‘09) and cornerback Korey in conference play, doing Def. Line - North Dakota (1988-89) Lindsey (‘10) were finalists so in convincing fashion Linebackers - Dickinson State (1987) for the Buck Buchanan as the Salukis won road Def. Backs - Valley City State (1986) Award that goes to the games at No. 2 Northern playoffs and the Salukis finished the year ranked FCS’s most valuable Iowa and at No. 9 South No. 6. defensive player. Dakota State. Southern Illinois finished the In Lennon’s first season in Carbondale, the In his three seasons, 2009 season ranked coach guided SIU to a 9-3 record, a share of the SIU has had six No. 6 with an 11-2 MVFC title and into the playoffs. players named first overall record, which team All-Americans is the third-most wins Lennon had the difficult task of replacing the and has had four in a year in program most successful coach in school history - Jerry Academic All- history. Kill, who was the 2007 Liberty Mutual Coach Americans. Before of the Year. Lennon had arrived The Salukis were at Southern, the Salukis ranked No. 1 by The The challenge did not intimidate Lennon, who only had six Academic Sports Network for came to SIU with his own personal string of All-Americans in the three weeks and entered five-consecutive playoff appearances when he previous 95 years. The the 2009 NCAA Division arrived in Carbondale. Lennon has now been coach has guided 18 players I playoffs - the schools to either the Division I or II playoffs in 10 out to the MVFC All-Academic team in seventh consecutive playoff of his last 13 seasons. He also owns a National three years, which is the second most appearance - as the No. 3 Championship ring, which he captured in 2001 honorees of any team in the league overall seed. Lennon guided when he was the head coach at his alma mater, during that time. SIU to the quarterfinals of the North Dakota. 11 2011 SALUKI FOOTBALL CoacHING staff Lennon’s success at SIU and North Dakota has made him as one of the Lennon’s Record vs. the Nation winningest active coaches in the country. In 14 seasons as a head coach, (as a Division I or Division II Head Coach) Lennon has compiled a 127-44 (.743) record. Augustana .............................................. 7-2 North Alabama ...................................... 1-0 Home: 4-1 Away: 3-1 Playoffs: 1-0 He stands as the winningest coach in UND history with a 90-24 record Central Washington .............................. 6-1 North Dakota ......................................... 1-0 in nine seasons. In addition to leading North Dakota to a national Home: 3-1 Away: 3-0 Home: 1-0 Delta State .............................................. 1-0 North Dakota State ............................... 5-3 championship, Lennon’s teams made seven playoff appearances, played in Home: 1-0 Home: 4-0 Away: 1-3 two national championship games and won five North Central Conference Eastern Illinois ...................................... 1-0 Northern Colorado ................................ 3-1 Playoffs: 1-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 1-1 Championships. Ferris State ............................................ 2-0 Northern Iowa ....................................... 4-0 Home: 2-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 2-0 Lennon graduated from Rugby High School in Rugby, N.D., a town of Grand Valley State ................................ 2-4 Northern Michigan ............................... 1-0 Playoffs: 2-4 Home: 1-0 less than 3,000 residents near the Canadian border. He went on to play Hampton ................................................ 1-0 Northwestern ......................................... 0-1 running back at the University of North Dakota from 1979-83, where he Home: 1-0 Away: 0-1 Humboldt State ..................................... 1-0 Northwest Missouri State ..................... 0-1 was a team captain. Home: 1-0 Playoffs: 0-1 Illinois ..................................................... 0-1 Pittsburg State ....................................... 2-1 The first half of Lennon’s coaching career was on the defensive side of Away: 0-1 Playoffs: 2-1 Illinois State ........................................... 3-0 Quincy .................................................... 1-0 the ball, as he was North Dakota’s defensive line coach (1988-89) and Home: 1-0 Away: 2-0 Home: 1-0 defensive coordinator (1990-96). Indiana State.......................................... 3-0 Southeast Missouri State ...................... 1-1 Home: 2-0 Away: 1-0 Home: 0-1 Away: 1-0 Marshall ................................................. 0-1 Southern Utah ....................................... 1-0 The Fighting Sioux made four-straight playoff appearances from 1992-95, Away: 0-1 Away: 1-0 which ultimately led to Lennon’s hiring as head coach of the University of Mesa State .............................................. 2-1 Southwest Baptist .................................. 1-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 0-1 Home: 1-0 Mary in Bismarck, N.D. in 1997. He reversed the fortunes of that program Michigan Tech ....................................... 1-0 South Dakota ......................................... 8-1 and led it to an NAIA playoff appearance in 1998. Playoffs: 1-0 Home: 4-0 Away: 4-1 Minnesota-Crookston ........................... 4-0 South Dakota State ............................... 6-2 Home: 4-0 Home: 3-1 Away: 3-1 Lennon returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1999, and the program Minnesota Duluth.................................. 5-0 St. Cloud State ....................................... 8-2 flourished underneath him. Home: 2-0 Away: 2-0 Playoffs: 1-0 Home: 4-1 Away: 3-1 Playoffs: 1-0 Minnesota State ..................................... 5-0 UC Davis ................................................ 1-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 3-0 Playoffs: 1-0 He reached the pinnacle of success in 2001, when he guided his team to Missouri State ........................................ 2-1 West Chester .......................................... 1-0 Home: 1-0 Away: 1-1 Home: 1-0 the NCAA Division II National Championship and earned AFCA Coach of Morningside ........................................... 2-0 Western Illinois...................................... 3-0 the Year honors. He won the NCC Coach of the Year laurels three times. Home: 1-0 Away: 1-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 1-0 MSU Mankato ....................................... 3-1 Western Washington ............................. 3-0 Home: 1-1 Away: 2-0 Home: 2-0 Away: 1-0 Lennon and his wife, Chris, have three sons: Jared (22), Trevor (20) and Nebraska-Omaha .................................