| ||||||||||
A native and lifelong Hoosier with 31 years coaching experience in the state, Bill Lynch is in his third year at the helm of the Indiana football program. In his two seasons, the Hoosiers reached the postseason for the first time since 1993, won seven games in a season for the first time since 1993, won the Old Oaken Bucket for the first time since 2001 and won 10 games in the two years - the most since 1993-94. IU also has boasted three All-Americans, two second-round NFL Draft picks, six All-Big Ten selections, one Academic All-American and a school-record 22 Academic All-Big Ten honorees in 2008.
Lynch completed his first season as Indiana head coach in 2007, leading the Hoosiers to a 7-6 record and a trip to the Insight Bowl. He is the only head coach in Hoosier history to guide a team to a bowl game in his debut season and just the fourth coach in IU lore to patrol the sidelines for a postseason contest. The team's seven victories were the second most for a first-year Indiana head coach, behind only James M. Sheldon, who went 8-1-1 in 1905.
Two of Lynch's 2007 charges were selected on the first day of the NFL Draft. The New Orleans Saints picked cornerback Tracy Porter with the 40th selection, while the Buffalo Bills took wide receiver James Hardy in the 41st slot. Indiana and Michigan were the only two Big Ten teams with multiple selections on day one and it marked the first time the Hoosiers had two players selected on day one of the NFL Draft since 1988.
Porter, Hardy, kicker Austin Starr, quarterback Kellen Lewis and defensive end Greg Middleton each collected All-Big Ten honors. Hardy and Middleton snared first team honors from both the conference coaches and media, while Starr and Porter added first team accolades from the media. The four first-teamers shared second most in the league with Penn State, trailing only Ohio State's six. Lewis was a second team selection by both the conference coaches and media, as Porter and Starr joined him on the coaches' ballots.
Hardy, Starr and Middleton also received All-America recognition. Hardy and Middleton both collected second team honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and third team laurels from the Associated Press, while Starr captured second team status from the AP. Starr was a Lou Groza Award finalist, Middleton was a Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award finalist and Hardy was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
IU knocked off No. 22 (BCS) Northwestern last year behind the play of team most valuable player and All-Big Ten honoree Jammie Kirlew. The junior, who earned first team All-Big Ten honors from the conference media and second team recognition from the conference coaches, was also one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award.
Punter Chris Hagerup was recognized on three Freshman All-America Teams. Sporting News, Rivals.com and Phil Steele each selected the redshirt freshman as a second-teamer on the heels of honorable mention All-Big Ten merits.
In addition to success on the field, Lynch stresses the importance of earning a degree from one of the top academic institutions in the country. Last year, a school-record 22 Hoosiers earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, over 25 percent of the roster recorded a grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the second straight campaign and Starr earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V honors for the third straight season.
Forty-one Hoosiers completed the 2007-08 academic year with cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or higher. Starr became the sixth IU player to be named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team, while fullback Josiah Sears joined Starr on the Academic All-District V team. Kicker Kevin Trulock received the inaugural Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, presented by the Indianapolis Big Ten Community Partnership.
Lynch signed an agreement on November 26, 2007, to remain Indiana head coach through July 1, 2012. He was named IU's 27th head coach on June 15, 2007. Lynch has compiled a 91-82-3 (.526) record with stops in Bloomington, Butler, Ball State and DePauw. He has won or shared six conference or divisional titles in his 16 seasons. Lynch has 32 overall years of coaching experience, spending 31 of those seasons in the state of Indiana.
With the Hoosiers' trip to the Insight Bowl in 2007, Lynch made his third appearance in a bowl game. He was an assistant under former Hoosier head coach Bill Mallory when Indiana faced Virginia Tech in the 1993 Independence Bowl. Lynch served as the Ball State head coach and led the Cardinals to the 1996 Las Vegas Bowl.
Lynch, a 2005 inductee into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, served as interim head coach for two games in 2006 and led the Hoosiers during 2007 spring practice. During his first two seasons in Bloomington, he was the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. This is Lynch's second stint at Indiana, as he was the Hoosiers quarterbacks coach in 1993-94.
Under Lynch's leadership as offensive coordinator, Lewis posted one of the top freshman seasons in IU history. He racked up 2,221 yards passing and 19 total touchdowns in 2006. The Hoosiers scored their most points (277) since 2001 and averaged 23.1 points, 335.9 yards and 222.1 passing yards per game. Indiana scored over 30 points three times and at least 24 points on seven occasions.
The veteran coach returned to Bloomington after directing DePauw to an 8-2 record en route to Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) co-Coach of the Year honors in 2004. Lynch was the first coach in SCAC history to earn the award in his debut campaign. DePauw finished 5-1 in league play.
Under Lynch's tutelage, seven DePauw players earned All-SCAC first team honors, and the Tigers compiled the second-best per-game rushing average (254.6 yards) in school history. Senior wide receiver Jamarcus Shepard was one of only two Division III players invited to the 2005 Hula Bowl Maui All-Star Classic.
Lynch was head coach at Ball State from 1995-02. During his tenure, the Cardinals won at least six games three times, including a 7-4 mark in 1995 and an 8-4 record the following season. The 1995 team posted a 6-2 record and tied for third in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), while Lynch's 1996 team captured the MAC championship at 7-1 and earned a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. Ball State also staked claim to the 2001 MAC West title after claiming third-place finishes in 1997 and 2000.
A 1977 Butler graduate and four-year letterwinner in both football and basketball, Lynch quarterbacked the Bulldogs to a 28-12 overall record and three conference championships. He earned Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) Most Valuable Player honors in each of his final three seasons. Lynch led the nation in pass completion percentage in 1975 and captained both sports his senior campaign.
Lynch, a three-time Little All-American, became the first Butler student-athlete to twice be named recipient of the prestigious Tony Hinkle Award, presented by the ICC for outstanding scholastic and athletic achievement. He finished his career with 5,909 passing yards and 60 touchdowns. Lynch also set a Butler men's basketball record by handing out 121 assists during the 1975-76 campaign and was inducted into the Butler Hall of Fame in 2000.
Upon graduation, Lynch spent seven seasons as a Bulldog assistant coach, including stints as the quarterbacks and wide receivers coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator. He moved on to Northern Illinois as quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in 1984 and was quarterbacks coach of the Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League (USFL) in the winter of 1984. The Renegades were coached by former Hoosier head coach Lee Corso.
Lynch returned to his alma mater as head coach in 1985 and compiled a 36-12-3 record over the next five seasons. Butler won four Heartland Collegiate Conference titles during his tenure, and he won conference Coach of the Year honors on three occasions. Four of Lynch's five squads were ranked among the top 20 in NCAA Division II, and he twice earned AFCA Regional Coach of the Year laurels.
He moved on to Ball State as the Cardinals' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1990-92, where he worked with eventual NFL running backs Bernie Parmalee (Miami Dolphins and New York Jets) and Corey Croom (New England Patriots) before his first stint at Indiana.
Bill and his wife, Linda, have four children - Billy (Carla), Kelly (Lucas Manor), Joey (Danielle) and Kevin - and eight grandchildren - Lindsey (2), Max (1) and Ryan (infant) Lynch (Billy and Carla - parents); Joe Jr. (1) Lynch (Joey and Danielle - parents); and Lexie (8), Maggie (6), Jonny (3) and Kate (1) Manor (Kelly and Lucas - parents). Billy is the Hoosiers' wide receivers coach, while Joey, who played quarterback at Ball State (2003-06), returned to his alma mater as wide receivers coach this offseason. Kevin just completed his senior season as a wide receiver on the Franklin College football team in Franklin, Ind.
