Tim Lester (American football coach)

Last updated

Tim Lester
Iowa Hawkeyes
Position: Offensive coordinator
Personal information
Born: (1977-02-08) February 8, 1977 (age 47)
Wheaton, Illinois, U.S.
Career information
College: Western Michigan (1996–1999)
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
Head coaching record
Postseason:2–3 (.400) (NCAA D-III playoffs/bowl games)
Career:NCAA: 67–55 (.549)

Timothy Frederick Lester (born February 8, 1977) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator at the University of Iowa football. He was previously on the Green Bay Packers coaching staff. Prior to that, Lester was the head football coach at Western Michigan University from 2017 to 2022. He played quarterback at Western Michigan from 1996 to 1999 and professionally for the Chicago Enforcers of the XFL in 2001. He then served as the head football coach at Saint Joseph's College in 2004 and at Elmhurst College from 2008 to 2012.

Contents

Early life

Lester attended Wheaton Warrenville South High School in Wheaton, Illinois. [1] As a senior, Lester threw for 1,732 yards and 17 touchdowns (TDs) with two interceptions before succumbing to a knee injury in the playoffs. He was subsequently named second-team all-state by the Chicago Tribune . [2] In two years as a starting quarterback, he completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,632 yards and 38 TDs with six interceptions. Prior to his injury, Lester had been considered a blue chip prospect and planned on committing to Florida and head coach Steve Spurrier. [3] [4]

College career

Lester threw for 11,299 passing yards with 87 TDs during his career, setting 17 school records after being recruited to WMU and winning MAC Freshman of the Year under head coach Al Molde and subsequently Gary Darnell and offensive coordinator Bill Cubit. Lester finished his career ranked fourth all time in NCAA Division I for passing yards and sixth in touchdowns.

Following his senior season, Lester participated in the 1999 Blue-Gray Classic. [5]

In 2011, Lester was named to the Western Michigan University Athletic Hall of Fame. [6]

Professional career

Although Lester was scouted by several professional teams in college, he went undrafted in the 2000 NFL draft.

Lester was drafted by the Chicago Enforcers in the sixth round of the 2001 XFL Draft. [7] He played in four games, completing 40 of 76 passes for 554 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions, and losing all four games as started; he was benched and eventually released midseason.

Lester also spent time in the Arena Football League in 2001 with the Nashville Kats [8] and Carolina Cobras; and the Arena Football League 2 in 2002 with the Memphis Xplorers. [9]

Coaching career

Immediately following his playing career at WMU, Lester returned to his alma mater Wheaton Warrenville South high school as a math teacher. He also served as offensive coordinator for the varsity football team for one season. He continued to hold that job while playing for the XFL, effectively playing as a semi-professional.

Lester then spent one season as the head coach of NCAA Division II Saint Joseph's College in 2004. Following the season he was named the 2004 Independent Football Alliance (IFA) Coach of the Year.

Lester returned to WMU to serve as quarterbacks coach from 2005 to 2006. The move reunited him with new Broncos head coach Bill Cubit. The two had previous success with Lester as quarterback and Cubit as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1997 to 1999. Lester was instrumental in recruiting quarterback Tim Hiller, an All-MAC performer that surpassed several of Lester's previous school passing records. Lester voluntarily left his position following the 2006 season in order to find employment closer to his family in the Chicago area. [10] He found that at NCAA Division III North Central College, where he served as defensive coordinator for the 2007 season.

Elmhurst

In 2008, Lester was named the head coach of the Division III Elmhurst College Bluejays. In 2012 Lester was named the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year after leading the Bluejays to their first NCAA Playoff appearance in school history. The conference championship was the first for the football program since 1980. The 2012, the Bluejays featured running back Scottie Williams, the Gagliardi Trophy award winner as the most outstanding player in Division III.

Syracuse

In 2013, Lester resigned from Elmhurst to accept an offer to be the quarterbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Syracuse. [11] The move reunited him with Orange head coach Scott Shafer and offensive coordinator George McDonald, all of whom had previously served on the same Western Michigan staff from 2005 to 2006. On October 6, 2014, McDonald was demoted from offensive coordinator to wide receivers coach by Shafer. Lester was promoted from quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator and play caller. [12] He was let go after new athletics director Mark Coyle fired head coach Scott Shafer. [13] [14]

Purdue

On December 28, 2015, Purdue hired Lester to become its quarterbacks coach. [15] Lester coached David Blough, [16] and Purdue averaged 294.9 passing yards a game, ranking 21st in the country. He was not retained by incoming head coach Jeff Brohm. [17] [18]

Western Michigan

On January 13, 2017, Lester was hired as head coach at Western Michigan. [17] [19] Lester's base contract pays him $800,000 per year. [20] Western Michigan fired Lester following the 2022 season, in which the team finished 5–7. [21] [22] In six seasons, Lester's teams compiled a 37–32 record. [23]

Green Bay Packers

On March 10, 2023, Lester was hired by the Green Bay Packers as their senior analyst. [24] Lester and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had been teammates at Western Michigan in 1998 and 1999. [25]

Iowa

On January 31, 2024, Lester was hired as offensive coordinator by Iowa. [26]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Saint Joseph's Pumas (NCAA Division II independent)(2004)
2004 Saint Joseph's7–4
Saint Joseph's:7–4 [27]
Elmhurst Bluejays (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin)(2008–2012)
2008 Elmhurst7–34–34th
2009 Elmhurst4–61–67th
2010 Elmhurst6–43–4T–5th
2011 Elmhurst6–44–34th
2012 Elmhurst0–2 (10 wins vacated) [lower-alpha 1] 0–1T–1stL NCAA Division III Quarterfinal
Elmhurst:23–19 [29] 12–17
Western Michigan Broncos (Mid-American Conference)(2017–2022)
2017 Western Michigan 6–64–44th (West)
2018 Western Michigan 7–65–3T–2nd (West)L Famous Idaho Potato
2019 Western Michigan 7–65–32nd (West)L First Responder
2020 Western Michigan 4–24–2T–2nd (West)
2021 Western Michigan 8–54–4T–4th (West)W Quick Lane
2022 Western Michigan 5–74–43rd (West)
Western Michigan:37–3226–20
Total:67–55
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth
  1. ↑ In 2017 the NCAA forced Elmhurst to vacate 10 wins (6 conference) from the 2012 season because of financial aid violations. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. J. Fleck</span> American football player and coach (born 1980)

Philip John Fleck Jr. is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He has served as the head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team since 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Michigan Broncos football</span> Sports program

The Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season. In 1927, WMU joined four other schools to form the Michigan Collegiate Conference. Western Michigan then moved to its present conference in 1948. Prior to 1939, Western Michigan's athletic teams were known as the Hilltoppers.

William John Cubit is an American football coach and former player. Cubit was the head football coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, first on an interim basis in the 2015 season and then promoted to the post full-time before his dismissal on March 5, 2016. Cubit served as the head football coach at Widener University from 1992 to 1996, and Western Michigan University from 2005 to 2012. Most recently, in 2019, he served as assistant head coach and running backs coach at his alma mater, the University of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Cignetti Jr.</span> American football coach (born 1965)

Frank Cignetti Jr. is an American football coach who was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Panthers. Before Pitt, he was the offensive coordinator at Boston College and the quarterbacks coach for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has also been the quarterbacks coach for the New York Giants in 2016 and 2017. Prior to that, he served as the quarterbacks coach for the St. Louis Rams from 2012 to 2014 and offensive coordinator for the Rams in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Harrell</span> American football player and coach (born 1985)

Graham Stanton Harrell is an American football coach and former quarterback who most recently was the offensive coordinator for the Purdue Boilermakers. He played college football for Texas Tech Red Raiders from 2004 to 2008. He played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the National Football League (NFL) from 2009 to 2013, with his longest tenure as a player with the Green Bay Packers. He served as the offensive coordinator of the North Texas Mean Green (2016–2018), USC Trojans (2019–2021) and the West Virginia Mountaineers (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Brohm</span> American football player and coach (born 1971)

Jeffrey Scott Brohm is an American college football coach and former professional quarterback. He is the head football coach at his alma mater, the University of Louisville, a position he has held since the 2023 season. Brohm played college football for the Louisville Cardinals under coach Howard Schnellenberger from 1989 to 1993. He played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons from 1994 to 2000 and the XFL in 2001. Brohm served as the head football coach at Western Kentucky University from 2014 to 2016 and Purdue University from 2017 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2007 Western Michigan Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2007 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The Broncos finished the season 5–7 overall and 3–4 in the Mid-American Conference. The highlight of the season was the 28–19 road victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes, a team that finished fifth in the Big Ten Conference .

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Getsy</span> American football player and coach (born 1984)

Luke John Getsy is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears from 2022 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2008 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2008 NCAA football season. The team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their homes game in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team</span> American college football season

The 2009 Western Michigan Broncos football team represented Western Michigan University in the 2009 NCAA football season. The WMU football team was coached by Bill Cubit and played their home games in Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan. WMU finished the season 5–7, defeating fellow Mid-American Conference (MAC) members Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami and Toledo, Football Championship Subdivision team Hofstra and losing to rival Central Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Ball State, Big Ten Conference members Indiana, Michigan and Michigan State.

George McDonald is an American football coach. He is currently the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for Ole Miss.

Quarterback U is a nickname used by sportswriters to refer to colleges that have trained a series of notable football quarterbacks (QBs). It is a literary device invoked in the individual discretion of sportswriters and does not represent any formal decision-making process or organized sportswriters' poll. Generally speaking, the term implies that many of the school's former quarterbacks later had successful careers in professional football, particularly in the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austin Appleby</span> American gridiron football player and coach (born 1993)

Austin Michael Appleby is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is an offensive analyst coach for the UAB Blazers. He played college football at Purdue University from 2012 to 2015 for coaches Danny Hope and Darrell Hazell, before graduate transferring to the University of Florida where here he played for coach Jim McElwain in 2016 and played in the Alliance of American Football in 2019. He was a consensus 3-star high school prospect as a senior.

Lou Esposito is an American football coach and former player. He is the defensive line coach at the University of Michigan. Esposito was a head coach at Saint Joseph's College and Davenport University. Prior to Michigan, Esposito was the defensive coordinator at Western Michigan University from 2017-2023.

Tederal Duralle White is an American football coach and former quarterback. Before coaching, White played for the Frankfurt Galaxy and Barcelona Dragons as part of NFL Europe in the early 2000s. From 2003 to 2005, White was the backup quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League. With both leagues, White had a combined total of 2,568 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.

Jeff Thorne is an American football coach and former player. He was the offensive coordinator at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2022. Thorne served as the head football coach at North Central College from 2015 to 2021. He succeeded his father, John Thorne, and led the 2019 team to an NCAA Division III national title. Thorne played college football at Eastern Illinois University, starting at quarterback in the early 1990s. His son, Payton, is currently the starting quarterback at Auburn University, as of 2024.

Kirk Ciarrocca is an American college football coach. He is the offensive coordinator at Rutgers University. He has previously served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota and Penn State University.

Tom Patrick Flacco is an American football quarterback. He attended three colleges: Western Michigan, Rutgers, and Towson. He also played baseball, and was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. Flacco is the younger brother of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco. He has also had stints in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Redblacks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaleb Eleby</span> American football player (born 2000)

Kaleb Eleby is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football at Western Michigan.

Justin Burke is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the UTSA Roadrunners football team.

References

  1. ↑ "Tim Lester". www.cuse.com. Syracuse University. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  2. ↑ Bob Sakamoto (November 24, 1994). "All-stars Fill All-state Teams". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  3. ↑ "How Syracuse OC Tim Lester nearly played QB for Florida". July 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Western Michigan coach Tim Lester learned major recruiting tip from unlikely source". February 2, 2017.
  5. ↑ "WT defender Larrimore chosen for Blue-Gray Game". www.amarillo.com. Amarillo Globe-News. December 17, 1999. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ Jared E. Smith (January 15, 2013). "Syracuse Football: Tim Lester To Be Named New QB Coach, Per Report". Nunesmagician.com. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Scott Merkin (February 2, 2001). "Will Public Buy Xfl? Players Are Trying To". www.chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Paul Kuharsky (April 27, 2001). "Kats look to stretch streak vs. Florida to seven in a row". The Tennessean. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Tim Lester Leads Xplorers Into Training Camp". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. March 18, 2002. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  10. ↑ Graham, Couch (October 18, 2011). "There's still plenty of WMU in (and on) former Broncos star QB Tim Lester". mlive.com . Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  11. ↑ Nolan Weidner (January 18, 2013). "Tim Lester added to Syracuse football staff as quarterbacks coach". syracuse.com . Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  12. ↑ Stephen Bailey (October 8, 2014). "George McDonald wishes that he could hate longtime friend, replacement Tim Lester". www.syracuse.com. Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  13. ↑ Schneidman, Matt (November 28, 2015). "Offensive coordinator Tim Lester: 'The one thing I know is that I don't know anything'". The Daily Orange . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ Mink, Nate (August 28, 2018). "Tim Lester knows all about SU team he's trying to beat". syracuse.com . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  15. ↑ Chris Carlson (December 28, 2015). "Former Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester lands at Purdue as QB coach". www.syracuse.com. Syracuse Media Group. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  16. ↑ Nathan Baird (September 22, 2016). "Purdue QB David Blough learning from Tim Lester". www.jconline.com. Lafayette Journal & Courier. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  17. 1 2 Graham, Andrew (September 19, 2019). "After getting fired twice in 13 months, Tim Lester is now at his dream job". The Daily Orange . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  18. ↑ Baird, Nathan (December 6, 2016). "Purdue's Brohm will bring WKU assistants". Journal and Courier . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Western Michigan hires Tim Lester as football coach". Detroit Free Press. January 13, 2017. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  20. ↑ Paul, Tony (January 14, 2017). "'Row the Boat' probably won't float in new WMU era". Detroit News . Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  21. ↑ Thamel, Pete (November 28, 2022). "W. Michigan fires coach Lester after 5-7 season". ESPN . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  22. ↑ Paul, Tony (November 28, 2022). "WMU 'didn't feel confident moving forward,' fires football coach Tim Lester". The Detroit News . Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  23. ↑ Vannini, Chris (November 28, 2022). "WMU fires HC Lester after 6 seasons". The Athletic . Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Packers finalize 2023 coaching staff". packers.com. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  25. ↑ Schoch, Matt (October 13, 2019). "Made in Michigan: Roots helped shape first-year Packers coach Matt LaFleur". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Tim Lester Hired as Offensive Coordinator". hawkeyesports.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Saint Joseph's College Football Guide" (PDF). Saint Joseph's College. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  28. ↑ Nothaft, Patrick (November 14, 2017). "NCAA finds major infractions at WMU football coach Tim Lester's former school". Mlive.com . Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Elmhurst College Football All-Time Coaching Records" (PDF). Elmhurst College. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.