Dave McClain (coach)
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Dave McClain was an American football coach. He was head coach at Ball State University from 1971 to 1977. During his seven seasons there, he compiled a 46-25-3 (.642) record [1]. During his tenure, Ball State joined Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). He was the MAC Coach of the Year in 1975 [2]. The 1976 team captured the school's first MAC title in only its second year in the conference.
Following his successful run at Ball State, McClain was hired as the head football coach at the University of Wisconsin, where he served from 1978 to 1985. During his tenure he compiled a 46-42-3 (.522) record, including a 1-2 record in post-season bowl games. He led the Badgers to back to back seven win seasons in 1981 and 1982.
He is the only coach in Badger football history to win the first four games of his head coaching tenure at Wisconsin. [3] He also recorded Wisconsin football's first post-season bowl victory, a 14-3 win over the Kansas State Wildcats in the 1982 Independence Bowl [4].
His coaching career was cut short when he died on 28 April 1986 of cardiac arrest. He was only 48 years of age.
Following his death, he was inducted into the Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Also, the Dave McClain Athletic Facilty was built at the University of Wisconsin in his memory. [5] The Big Ten Conference has also named its football Coach of the Year award after McClain.
| Preceded by: Wave Myers |
Ball State University Head Football Coach 1971–1977 |
Succeeded by: Dwight Wallace |
| Preceded by: John Jardine |
University of Wisconsin Head Football Coach 1978–1985 |
Succeeded by: Jim Hilles |
| Wisconsin Badgers Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Kletsch • Mestre • Alward • Crawford • Davis • Stickney • King • Curtis • Hutchins • Barry • Richards • Juneau • Withington • Lowman • Ryan • Little • Thistlethwaite • Spears • Stuhldreher • Williamson • Bruhn • Coatta • Jardine • McClain • Hilles • Morton • Alvarez • Bielema |
| Ball State Head Football Coaches |
|---|
| Williams • Wann • Parker • Williams • McPhee • Magnabosco • Serdula • Freeman • Louthen • Myers • McClain • Wallace • Schudel • Lynch • Hoke |
