tkarras@marian.edu	317.955.6772

 
Marian University head football coach Ted Karras Jr. coined a phrase after the 2010 season: "From the Swamp to the Mountains." That is how the first four years of Knights football has been described.

Karras, who is entering his fifth season, guided the Knights to numerous firsts in the program's short history in 2010. Not only was it the program's third straight winning season, but the Knights earned their first-ever 10-win season and garnered their first-ever top 10 ranking in the NAIA Football Coaches' Poll. The culmination of the greatest season in the program's history came on November 14, 2010 when Marian University was selected to play in the NAIA Football Championship Series for the first time in school history.

The firsts did not end there. The Knights, ranked 11th at the time, defeated eighth-ranked Ottawa University by a 35-20 score to earn their first-ever postseason victory. MU fell to eventual national champion Carroll College after a trip to the mountains in Helena, Montana. They closed the 2010-11 academic year as the sixth-ranked team in the nation.

The 2009 season was the program's second straight winning season as they earned a 6-5 record. The Knights defeated the University of St. Francis (Ill.) on a last-second field goal to earn their first-ever season-opening win. They also opened a new stadium, St.Vincent Health Field, with a 34-16 win over Grand View, which finished the season ranked in the top 25. The season culminated with the program's first-ever AFCA-NAIA All-America selection in the graduated Chris White.

The second season of Knights football was proof that the program had grown as Karras guided the Knights to their first-ever winning season at 7-4. The team won three straight during the season and earned votes in the NAIA Top 25 for the first time. They also defeated No. 25-ranked McKendree, 28-21, on the road for their first-ever road win and their first-ever win over a ranked opponent.

The inaugural season yielded the team's first-ever victory, a MSFA All-Mideast second team selection, an MSFA All-Academic team selection, and four MSFA All-Mideast honorable mentions. The Knights finished 1-9 in their first-ever season, but that victory was monumental for a startup program.

Karras, alongside assistant coach Martin Mathis, created a program with just 48 student-athletes and a practice facility that resembled a swamp. Now, the program's evolution is complete. Through four years, Coach Karras has amassed a 24-21 record, including a 1-9 first season, and is 23-12 over the last three years, including a 10-3 mark in 2010.

A northwest Indiana native, Karras came to Marian University after three seasons defying the odds at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. While with the Fighting Engineers, Karras led RHIT out of the doldrums of perennial two- and three-win seasons. Under his tutelage, the Fighting Engineer program was revitalized with shocking victories over DePauw University, Washington University, and the program's first victory at Rhodes College in Memphis since 1971. He posted a pair of .500 (5-5) records in his first season, the first since 1995, and final season at the helm.

During his time at RHIT, his players excelled in both football and academics. He had two Academic All-Americans, 13 All-Conference performers, and the first All-American defensive lineman in school history. He also coached the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. While the defensive side saw success, the offense was not to be outdone.

He coached RHIT's first conference rushing champion since 1995 and was cited as having the nation's "best performance by a rookie coach" by d3football.com in 2003. Karras went 14-16 with RHIT, the best three-year record of any coach, and was named one of the "10 hottest coaches in division III" by American Football Monthly.

For four years prior to RHIT, Karras was the offensive coordinator at MSFA foe, St. Xavier University. Coach Karras was part of an MSFA Midwest League championship and NAIA playoff-qualifier in 2002. His players established nine single-season and two single-game records during his tenure, including total yards, number of plays, all-purpose yards, rushing yards, attempts, touchdowns, first downs, and rushing first downs.

Prior to SXU, Karras served as the head coach at Andrean High School in Gary, Indiana, from 1996-98. Karras successfully rebuilt a program that had never won a regional championship. During his tenure, AHS won three sectional and two regional championships and earned a berth in the state championship game. Coach Karras amassed a 30-10 overall record at Andrean High School and was named the Indiana Football Coaches' Association Regional Coach of the Year in 1997 and 1998.

He also served as defensive line coach at St. Francis College (Ilinois) from 1995-96 and defensive coordinator at Lake Forest College (Illinois) from 1993-95. Karras also served as a defensive line graduate assistant at Northern Illinois University in 1992-93 and as a graduate assistant at the University of Minnesota from 1991-92. His coaching experience began as a defensive line coach for Kankakee Valley High School in 1989.

Karras was a four-year starter at Northwestern University from 1983-87 and earned his bachelor of science from Northwestern in 1987. His playing career continued as he signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent and spent one season with the Redskins.

Coach Karras' bloodline is football-rich; his father, Ted Sr., played for the George Halas-led Chicago Bears from 1960-64. His uncle, Alex Karras, spent 13 seasons with the Detroit Lions (1958-71) and earned All-Big Ten honors at the University of Iowa.

Coach Karras is married to Jennifer, and the couple has two children. The family resides in Indianapolis.

mmathis@marian.edu	317.955.6771

David Blevins is in his first season as an assistant coach at Marian University and will focus his efforts on the tight ends for the 2010 NAIA quarterfinalists.

Blevins has been teaching and coaching for more than a decade and has a variety of experience on the offensive side of the football. For the last four years, Blevins has been the wide receivers coach at Lafayette Jefferson High School. He also served as defensive coordinator for one season. He served as head football coach at River Forest High School and was responsible for an increase in participation from 18 to 46 players as the IHSAA Class A school. He had one-year stints at Arlington High School (2004) and Indian Creek High School (2003) after a four-year stint at Franklin College from 1999-02.

His playing experience includes one year with Team USA Football in 1991 and four years at Franklin College. He was an NAIA All-America honorable mention wide receiver in 1980 and was an All-Conference first team pick in 1980.

He earned a bachelor's degree in 1981 before earning a master of arts degree in 2003 from the University of Indianapolis. He resides in Indianapolis.

Sergeant First Class Henry Brown is in his first season as an assistant coach at Marian University.

Brown is a resident graduate of the U.S. Army Senior Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, S.C., and earned Chicago Medical Recruiting First Sergeant in May of 2010 after serving as the Large Station Commander of Indianapolis Medical Recruiting Station.

Sergeant First Class Brown has more than a decade of coaching experience that has spanned from the United States to Germany.

He competed as a nose tackle and a fullback in high school and served as special teams captain.

SFC Brown is married, has three children and two grandchildren.

Coach Hamrock enters his fifth season with Marian University after spending four years at Lawrenceburg High School where he led the strength and conditioning programs for the boy's and girl's teams. Hamrock was a graduate assistant at Marian University for the first two seasons of MU football.

After shifting from just a quarterbacks coach to co-offensive coordinator, the Knights offense adapted to its personnel and had a breakout season in 2010. MU finished second in the MSFA in pass offense and fifth in total offense.

In addition, his quarterback finished ranked second in the MSFA in passing average and total offense and finished sixth in the nation in total offense and total passing. With the personnel the Knights had last season, a solid corps of wideouts and a strong-armed quarterback, the passing game was relied upon heavily. 

The team responded as the Knights scored 31 of their 54 touchdowns through the air and passed for a program-record 3,505 yards. During his time at Marian University, Hamrock's offense has had 15 of its position players honored as All-MSFA selections, JaQuan Patilla ‘11 was named an NAIA Champions of Character Award winner and Coomer was honored as the NAIA Offensive Player of the Game after the Knights' 35-20 win over Ottawa University in their first-ever NAIA Football Championship Series game.

Hamrock was a two-year letter winner at Taylor University before transferring to the College of Mount Saint Joseph in 2003. Hamrock was 11-1 as a starter and led the Lions to back-to-back conference titles and two NCAA playoff appearances. He was an All-Conference honorable mention in 2004 and earned a bachelor of arts in inclusive early childhood education in 2006.

He guided Coomer to school records in every major passing category last season and played a vital role in the Knights finishing as the sixth-ranked passing offense in the NAIA well as 24th in total offense yards per game.

He works specifically with the quarterbacks and is also co-offensive coordinator. He currently resides in Indianapolis.

Neil Kazmierczak is in his second season as an assistant coach for Marian University. Coach Kazmierczak assists with the secondary for the 2010 NAIA FCS quarterfinalists.

Kazmierczak helped guide a corps of defensive backs that tallied a school-record 26 interceptions and 70 pass break-ups. He helped coach Dustin Craig to All-MSFA first team honors and a single-season school record seven interceptions.

Prior to joining Marian University's staff, Kazmierczak spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator at Butler University. In his three seasons, the Bulldogs tallied 41 interceptions and went 21-13 in those three seasons. He guided the fifth-ranked passing defense in the Pioneer League in 2009.

Kazmierczak went to Butler after spending five seasons as the defensive coordinator at DePauw University. He helped DePauw to a pair of conference titles, and the Tigers' defensive unit ranked first in the conference in fewest points allowed in 2004.

Prior to joining the staff at DePauw, Kazmierczak served as linebackers coach at Saint Mary's College (Calif.) for one season (1999) and as defensive coordinator for Ritsumeikan University in Japan for one season (1998).

He also had coaching stints at Stanford University (1995-98), Oxnard, California, High School (1993-95) and John Marshall High School (California, 1990-93). Kazmierczak was a three-year varsity football player at Michigan State University. During his tenure at Stanford University, Kazmierczak coached in the Sun and Liberty Bowls.

As a player, Kazmierczak was a tight end and outside linebacker at Michigan State University and was a member of the 1984 Cherry Bowl team. He earned Academic Honor Roll on five occasions as a Spartan.

Kazmierczak earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State in 1998, a master's degree from Azusa Pacific in 1995 and a master's degree from Stanford in 1998.

He and his wife are the parents of three children and reside in Indianapolis.

asherman@marian.edu	317.955.6124

Jerome Smith is in his first season as an assistant coach at Marian University and will focus on the defensive line for the 2010 NAIA quarterfinalists.

Smith brings extensive experience in coaching and athletic administration to the Knights. From 2007-09, he was with Purdue University as an administrator for the softball program before moving to Indiana University-Bloomington from 2009-10 in the area of operations.

Last season, Smith served as the administrative quality control specialist for the Hoosiers where he assisted with video personnel and the administration of team video projects.

He is a 2009 graduate of Purdue University and earned a master of science from Indiana University in 2010. He currently resides in Indianapolis.

Chi Worthington is in his first season as an assistant coach at Marian University and will focus on the defensive backs for the 2010 NAIA quarterfinalists.

Worthington brings an extensive background in football after having spent the last six years in coaching. From 2005-07, he was with the University of Iowa as a graduate assistant and spent 2006-07 as a recruiting assistant. He moved to North Carolina Tech Preparatory School where he spent the last four years. He spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator.

He is a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and received a master's degree from the University of Iowa.

Richard El is in his second season as a graduate assistant coach and third as an assistant with the MU program. El has been focused on working with the defensive backs after a stellar career as a safety at Marian University.

Last season, El assisted with a defensive backfield that tallied a school-record 26 interceptions and 70 pass break-ups. He helped coach Dustin Craig to All-MSFA first team honors and a single-season school record seven interceptions.

El earned All-MSFA Mideast honorable mention honors in 2008 when he tallied a team-high 98 tackles, had five tackles-for-loss, and notched one sack. He spent the summer of 2009 interning with the Black Coaches' Association.

Coach El resides in Indianapolis.