Mike Whalen

Last updated

Mike Whalen
Current position
Title Athletic director
Team Wesleyan
Conference NESCAC
Biographical details
Born (1960-11-04) November 4, 1960 (age 63)
Enfield, Connecticut, U.S.
Playing career
Football
1979–1982 Wesleyan
Position(s) Offensive lineman
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
c. 1985 Springfield (GA)
1986 Penn (assistant)
1987–1989 Lafayette (DL)
1990–1992Lafayette (OL)
1993–1995 Colgate (OL)
1996–1998 Williams (OL)
1999–2003Williams (OC)
2004–2009Williams
2010–2014 Wesleyan
Wrestling
1996–2004 Williams
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2013–present Wesleyan
Head coaching record
Overall64–24 (football)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Football
2 NESCAC (2006, 2013)

Mike Whalen (born November 4, 1960) is an American college athletics administrator and former college football and collegiate wrestling coach. He is the athletic director at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, a position he has held since 2013. Whalen served as the head football coach at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts from 2004 to 2009 and at Wesleyan from 2010 to 2014, compiling a career college football head coaching record of 64–24. He was also the head wrestling coach at Williams from 1996 to 2004. Whalen played football and wrestled at Wesleyan.

Contents

Athlete

A native of Enfield, Connecticut, [1] Whalen attended Enrico Fermi High School. As a senior, he was the State Class "LL" Heavyweight Wrestling Champion and placed 3rd at the State Open Championships. For football Whalen was All-CCIL on both offense and defense and an All-State honorable mention. He took a postgraduate year at Loomis Chaffee, where he was the New England Prep Champion and 3rd in the National Prep Wrestling Championships while being named 1st team All-Prep and All-State in football. Whalen would go on to attend Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut. He was a four-year starter as an offensive lineman for the Wesleyan Cardinals football team before receiving his degree in 1983. [2] He was also the captain of the wrestling team at Wesleyan, earning All-New England and All-American honors three times. He was the first New England wrestler to win four consecutive New England championships. [3]

Early coaching career

Whalen began his coaching career at Springfield College as a graduate assistant in football and wrestling. After receiving a master's degree from Springfield in physical education, Whalen was hired as an assistant football coach at the University of Pennsylvania and was on the coaching staff of the undefeated 1986 Penn Quakers team. He next worked as an assistant coach at Lafayette College and Colgate University, holding the position of associate head coach at Colgate. [3]

Williams

He was an assistant football coach at Williams College from 1996 to 2003, including three years as the team's offensive coordinator. While working as an assistant football coach, Whalen also served as the school's head wrestling coach from 1996 to 2004. [3] In February 2004, he was hired as head football coach of the Williams Ephs, succeeding College Football Hall of Fame inductee, Dick Farley. [3] Whalen served six years as Williams' head coach (2004–2009) during which he compiled a record of 38–10 (.792 winning percentage). [3] In 2006, he led Williams to an undefeated, untied 8–0 record and the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship. He also led Williams to four consecutive Little Three championships from 2005 through 2008. [3]

Wesleyan

While at Williams College, Whalen had an undefeated 6–0 record against his alma mater, Wesleyan. [2] In March 2010, Wesleyan hired Whalen as its head football coach and assistant athletic director. [2] [4] At the time, Whalen told reporters, "This would have never, ever, ever happened if I didn't go here. That was a big, big draw for me, to come home, to come back to Wesleyan and see if we can put this thing back on track." [1] In his first year at Wesleyan, Whalen finished the year 4–4, losing close games to Middlebury, 24–21, and Trinity, 27–20, while also losing to Little Three rivals Williams and Amherst.

Head coaching record

Football

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Williams Ephs (New England Small College Athletic Conference)(2004–2009)
2004 Williams6–26–2T–2nd
2005 Williams6–26–2T–3rd
2006 Williams 8–08–01st
2007 Williams6–26–2T–2nd
2008 Williams6–26–22nd
2009 Williams6–26–2T–2nd
Williams:38–1038–10
Wesleyan Cardinals (New England Small College Athletic Conference)(2010–2014)
2010 Wesleyan4–44–4T–4th
2011 Wesleyan3–53–5T–6th
2012 Wesleyan5–35–3T–4th
2013 Wesleyan7–17–1T–1st
2014 Wesleyan7–17–12nd
Wesleyan:26–1426–14
Total:64–24
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

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References

  1. 1 2 Jay Spiegel (March 8, 2010). "Wesleyan Introduces Football Coach Mike Whalen: Former Offensive Lineman For Cardinals". The Hartford Courant.
  2. 1 2 3 "Wesleyan names Mike Whalen head football coach". Middletown Press. March 5, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mike Whalen profile". Williams College.
  4. ↑ "Mike Whalen Named Wesleyan Football Coach". The Hartford Courant. March 6, 2010.
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