2009 Football

Record: 6-5 Home: 2-2 Away: 4-3 MSFA: 3-4
2009 Football Coaches
Ted Karras Jr. Image
Ted Karras Jr. - Head Coach - 3rd Season

tkarras@marian.edu
317.955.6772

Head coach Ted Karras Jr., has spent much of his coaching career defying odds and silencing critics. During the inaugural season, Karras led the Knights to their first-ever victory after many said the first season would yield no fruits of victory. He also created a football program from scratch by recruiting more than 125 student-athletes for the inaugural season.

The inaugural season of Marian University football yielded the first-ever victory, an 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.

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 (Illinois) 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 and the couple has two children. The family resides in Indianapolis.
 

Martin Mathis Image
Martin Mathis - Associate Head Coach - 3rd Season

mmathis@marian.edu
317.955.6771

Coach Mathis is in his third season as assistant head coach, defensive coordinator, and recruiting coordinator. In his first season, he coached two MSFA All-Mideast League honorable mention selections and helped lead the Knights to their first-ever victory.

His recruiting focus has been in the Ohio Valley, California, Florida, and Texas where he has successfully recruited more than 75 athletes to Marian University. Mathis spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology where he served as linebackers coach, special teams coordinator and, in his final season, defensive coordinator.

During his tenure, he led eight defensive players to All-Conference honors, assisted in guiding a losing program to the .500 mark, and successfully recruited 19 athletes prior to his departure. In the 2005-06 year, Mathis led the Cincinnati Marshals of the NIFL to the third round of the playoffs in the league's inaugural season.

Prior to Rose, Mathis returned to his high school, Purcell Marian, as the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator in Cincinnati during the 2002-03 school year. Mathis was part of a state championship-winning program in 1986 at Purcell Marian that was ranked fourth in the nation.

Mathis served as an assistant coach with the University of Minnesota for two years after he earned his bachelor of arts in youth studies, African American studies, and art studies. He was a three-year letter winner at Minnesota as a linebacker. His father, Mike, was a National Basketball Association official. Mathis is also an official with the Mathis Foundation for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio.

He resides in Indianapolis.

 

Rodney Deckard Image
Rodney Deckard - Assistant Coach - 3rd Season

Coach Deckard enters his third season with Marian University after spending eight years as the assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Tri-West High School where he is an educator. He helped guide the Bruins to two IHSAA Class 2A state titles in 2003 and 2004. He was named an All-Star assistant coach in 2004 and selected as one of the nation's most inspirational coaches in 2002.

Deckard has been an educator since 1991 and is an associate instructor in the Department of Physical Education at IUPUI. Coach Deckard earned his bachelor's degree in education with a major in social studies and recently earned his master of science in physical education in August 2007.

He currently resides in Indianapolis with his wife and two children.
 

Bryan Hamrock Image
Bryan Hamrock - Assistant Coach - 3rd Season

Coach Hamrock enters his third season with Marian University after spending four years as the assistant swimming coach at Lawrenceburg High School where he led the strength and conditioning programs for the boy's and girl's teams.

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 currently resides in Moores Hill, Indiana.
 

Jason Roth Image
Jason Roth - Assistant Coach - 1st Season
 
Jason Roth enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Marian University football program.
 
Prior to coming to the Knights, Roth was a teacher at Wes-Del High School and served as an assistant football coach and head wrestling coach. Before heading to Wes-Del, Roth was a football assistant coach and head track and field coach at Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina.
 
He is no stranger to the college game after spending a season at Frankiln College before returning to Mooresville High School in Mooresville, Indiana where he coached three sports: football, swimming, and track. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Purdue University and currently teaches at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis. Roth is married and with one child. The family resides in Plainfield, Indiana.
 

Adam Sherman Image
Adam Sherman - Assistant Coach - 2nd Season

asherman@marian.edu
317.955.6124

Coach Sherman is in his second season coaching at Marian University after a season serving as the offensive line coach for one of the most storied high school programs in the state of Indiana. And, he is no stranger to NAIA football.

In 2007, Adam spent the season as the offensive line coach for the five-time IHSAA Class 5A state champion Warren Central High School Warriors. In his one season with the Warriors, Sherman helped coordinate the rushing game and assist with offensive sideline adjustments. His rushing game led the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference with 4,500 yards.

Prior to his stint with Warren Central, Sherman served as the offensive line coach at Kathleen High School in Lakeland, Florida, in 2006. As the rushing game coordinator, Sherman coached All-State first team center Devone Williams and helped lead the Red Devils to a 9-3 overall record.

In 2005, he served as offensive line coach at Perry Meridian High School where he coordinated the rushing game and assisted with sideline adjustments.

Sherman was a four-year starter at the University of Saint Francis and was a two-time NAIA All-American and a three-time MSFA All-Mideast pick. He earned a bachelor of science in education in 2005.
Sherman is married with a daughter and a son. The family resides in Indianapolis.
 

Anthony Simpson Image
Anthony Simpson - Assistant Coach - 1st Season

Coach Simpson also brings a wealth of experience to Marian University as a defensive backs coach and sport conditioning trainer. A graduate of Ben Davis High School, Simpson was a member of the 1990 and 1991 IHSAA Class 5A state championship Giants teams. The 1991 team was also named national champions.

Simpson most recently served as an assistant coach at Ben Davis and was the assistant coach of the Municipal Gardens Dads Football Club. He owns and operates his own personal and sport training business and has more than 15 years of weight-training experience.

He is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and  is a certified fitness trainer and conditioning specialist. He resides in Indianapolis.
 

Aaron Smith Image
Aaron Smith - Assistant Coach - 2nd Season

Coach Smith enters his second season with Marian University and comes to the Knights from Woodward High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he served as an assistant coach for three seasons. Smith also served as an assistant coach with Mt. Healthy High School in Cincinnati and has an extensive playing background.

Smith was a fullback/linebacker and special teams player in the Arena Football League (2000-03) and in the National Indoor Football League (2004-2006). His final stint as a professional was in AFL2 with the Cincinnati Marshals in 2007.

He currently owns his own business and resides in Cincinnati, Ohio.
 

Sean Wilson Image
Sean Wilson - Assistant Coach - 3rd Season

Coach Wilson enters his third season with Marian University. Prior to coaching at Marian he spent one season as the co-defensive coordinator at Arsenal Tech High School.

While attending Ball State University he served as a field manager and a student coach throughout his undergraduate career. During his time at BSU, Wilson served as the assistant to the linebackers coach and worked as a defensive self-scout. He also assisted with opponent film breakdown and film evaluation of recruits and walk-on athletes.

In the spring of 2002 he was appointed head student manager and served as the football intern/recruiting assistant. During the summer from 2000-2004, Wilson served as a training camp intern for the Indianapolis Colts. Coach Wilson currently is employed through Masco Retail Sales Support.

He is married with two children. The family resides in Indianapolis.