Rich Lackner

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Rich Lackner
Carnegie Mellon Head Coach Rich Lackner
Carnegie Mellon Head Coach Rich Lackner
Title Head coach
College Carnegie Mellon University
Sport Football
Conference UAA
Team record 156-64-2
Place of birth Flag of Pennsylvania Pittsburgh, PA
Career highlights
Championships
8 UAA Championships
2 ECAC Bowl Championships
Awards
UAA Coach of the Year (1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2006)
Bob Prince Award(2003)
All-South Region Coach of the Year(2006)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1986-present Carnegie Mellon
College Football Hall of Fame, Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, inducted 2003

Rich Lackner is the head football coach of the Carnegie Mellon Tartans. As a head coach, he has compiled a career record of 156-64-2 (.705).

Contents

[edit] Playing Career

A Pittsburgh native, Lackner graduated with honors from Mt. Lebanon High School, one of Pennsylvania's perennial football powers. As a senior he led Mt. Lebanon to the WPIAL Class AAA title game with a 9-2 record.

Lackner himself had an exceptional athletic and academic career at Carnegie Mellon. A four year starter at linebacker, he was a three-time All-Presidents' Athletic Conference pick as well as the PAC's 1976 Defensive Player-of-the-Year. In 1978 Lackner was named to the Pittsburgh Press All-District Team and received a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Dapper Dan Award. Also a model student, he was twice named an Academic All-American.

During his playing career, Carnegie Mellon had a four-year mark of 28-7-1 and won PAC titles in 1977 and 1978. The Tartans advanced to the NCAA Playoffs in 1978, marking their first postseason appearance since the 1939 Sugar Bowl.

[edit] Early Coaching Career

Following his 1979 graduation from Carnegie Mellon with a bachelor's degree in history, Lackner remained with head coach Chuck Klausing as an assistant coach. Seven years later, Lackner was named head coach when Klausing left to join Mike Gottfried's staff at Pitt.

[edit] Head Coaching

Named head coach in 1986, Lackner has directed the Tartans to a 156-64-2 (.705) record, nine conference championships and two NCAA playoff berths. Lackner passed Walter Steffen, who guided Carnegie Tech to an 88-53-8 mark from 1914-32, as the winningest coach in school history on Sept. 19, 1998 as the Tartans defeated Bethany College, 38-7.

Carnegie Mellon has risen to unprecedented prominence in the University Athletic Association (UAA) under Lackner. The Tartans own eight UAA titles and have an impressive conference record of 45-16 (.738). Lackner has been named the UAA Coach of the Year five times, in 1990, '91, '93, '97 and most recently in 2006 after leading the Tartans to an 11-1 season, the most wins in school history and their sixth appearance in the NCAA playoffs. He was also named All-South Region Coach of the Year by D3football.com in 2006. In May 2003, Lackner was inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. He was also awarded the Bob Prince Award during the Catholic Youth Organization's 29th annual dinner.

[edit] Family

Lackner and his wife, Cindy, have two children, Nick, 27, who is a graduate of John Carroll University and holds a MSc Degree from Columbia University and Kimberly, 25, who is a 2005 graduate of Carnegie Mellon.

[edit] Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl
Carnegie Mellon (UAA) (1986 — present)
1986 Carnegie Mellon 6-3-0 PAC
1987 Carnegie Mellon 7-2-1 PAC
1988 Carnegie Mellon 5-4-1 PAC
1989 Carnegie Mellon 7-3-0 PAC Co-Champions
1990 Carnegie Mellon 10-1-0 UAA Champions NCAA Playoffs
1991 Carnegie Mellon 9-1-0 UAA Champions
1992 Carnegie Mellon 7-2-0 UAA
1993 Carnegie Mellon 8-2-0 UAA Champions
1994 Carnegie Mellon 7-3-0 UAA Co-Champions
1995 Carnegie Mellon 7-3-0 UAA Co-Champions
1996 Carnegie Mellon 7-3-0 UAA Co-Champions
1997 Carnegie Mellon 8-2-0 UAA Champions
1998 Carnegie Mellon 7-3-0 UAA
1999 Carnegie Mellon 8-3-0 UAA ECAC South
2000 Carnegie Mellon 6-4-0 UAA
2001 Carnegie Mellon 7-2-0 UAA
2002 Carnegie Mellon 5-5-0 UAA
2003 Carnegie Mellon 6-4-0 UAA
2004 Carnegie Mellon 6-4-0 UAA
2005 Carnegie Mellon 5-5-0 UAA
2006 Carnegie Mellon 11-1-0 UAA Champions NCAA Playoffs
2007 Carnegie Mellon 7-4-0 UAA ECAC Southwest
Carnegie Mellon: 156-64-2
Total: 156-64-2
      National Championship         Conference Title         Conference Division Title
Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season.

[edit] External links