 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 1, 1936 Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1955–1957 | Bowling Green |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1963 | Cincinnati (assistant) |
| 1967 | Bowling Green (assistant) |
| 1968–1976 | Bowling Green |
| 1977–1979 | Michigan (QB) |
| 1980–2000 | West Virginia |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 202–128–8 |
| Bowls | 4–9 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 Big East (1993) | |
| Awards | |
| Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1988) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (1988) AFCA Coach of the Year (1988) Big East Coach of Year (1993) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2017) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2005 (profile) | |
Donald Eugene Nehlen (born January 1, 1936) is a former American football player and coach. He was head football coach at Bowling Green State University (1968–1976[1]) and at West Virginia University (1980–2000). Nehlen retired from coaching college football in 2001 with a career record of 202–128–8 and as the 17th winningest coach in college football history. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and has served as a president of the American Football Coaches Association.
Nehlen was a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln High School (Canton, Ohio) where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball.
Nehlen played quarterback at Bowling Green (1955–1957) and led the team to a Mid-American Conference championship in 1956. He began his coaching career in 1958 at Mansfield Senior High School and then served as head coach at Canton South High School and Canton McKinley High School. Nehlen was later an assistant coach at the University of Cincinnati, Bowling Green, and the University of Michigan.
Since his retirement from coaching, Nehlen has been a spokesman for the coal industry. Nehlen received the 2002 Distinguished West Virginian Award from the West Virginia Broadcasters Association.[2] In 2006, Nehlen published a book called Don Nehlen's Tales from the West Virginia Sideline, an autobiographical account recalling his 21-year tenure as the head football coach at West Virginia.
In 2017 the AFCA presented Nehlen the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award, given to the "individual, group or institution whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football."[3]
- ^ "Bowling Green Coach Quits". The New York Times. November 24, 1976. Retrieved April 13, 2022.
- ^ Don Nehlen at the College Football Hall of Fame
- ^ "Nehlen Presented AFCA's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award". West Virginia University Athletics. January 10, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2023.