Rich Lackner

Rich Lackner
Sport(s) Football
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Carnegie Mellon
Conference PAC
Record 203–110–2
Biographical details
Born (1956-07-28) July 28, 1956
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Playing career
1975–1978 Carnegie Mellon
Position(s) Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1979–1985 Carnegie Mellon (assistant)
1986–present Carnegie Mellon
Head coaching record
Overall 203–110–2
Bowls 3–2
Tournaments 1–2 (NCAA D-III playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 PAC (1989)
8 UAA (1990–1991, 1993–1997, 2006)
Awards
5x UAA Coach of the Year (1990–1991, 1993, 1997, 2006)
Bob Prince Award (2003)
All-South Region Coach of the Year (2006)

Rich Lackner (born July 28, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at Carnegie Mellon University, a position he has held since 1986.

Playing career

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

Lackner 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 Division III playoffs in 1978, marking their first postseason appearance since the 1939 Sugar Bowl.

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 the University of Pittsburgh.

Carnegie Mellon

Named head coach in 1986, Lackner has directed the Tartans to nine conference championships and two NCAA playoff berths. Lackner passed Walter Steffen, who guided Carnegie Tech to an 88–53–8 mark from 1914 to 1932, as the winningest coach in school history on September 19, 1998 when 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, 1991, 1993, 1997, 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.

Family

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

Head coaching record

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffsbowl
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (Presidents' Athletic Conference) (1986–1989)
1986 Carnegie Mellon 6–3
1987 Carnegie Mellon 7–2–1
1988 Carnegie Mellon 5–4–1
1989 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 T–1st
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (University Athletic Association) (1990–2013)
1990 Carnegie Mellon 10–1 4–0 1st L NCAA Division III First Round
1991 Carnegie Mellon 9–1 4–0 1st
1992 Carnegie Mellon 7–2
1993 Carnegie Mellon 8–2 4–0 1st
1994 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1995 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1996 Carnegie Mellon 7–3 3–1 T–1st
1997 Carnegie Mellon 8–2 4–0 1st
1998 Carnegie Mellon 7–3
1999 Carnegie Mellon 8–3 W ECAC
2000 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2001 Carnegie Mellon 7–2
2002 Carnegie Mellon 5–5
2003 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2004 Carnegie Mellon 6–4
2005 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2006 Carnegie Mellon 11–1 3–0 1st L NCAA Division III Second Round
2007 Carnegie Mellon 7–4 2–1 W ECAC Southwest
2008 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2009 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2010 Carnegie Mellon 4–6 0–3 4th
2011 Carnegie Mellon 5–5 1–2
2012 Carnegie Mellon 6–5 1–2 3rd L ECAC Southwest
2013 Carnegie Mellon 3–7 0–3 4th
Carnegie Mellon Tartans (Presidents' Athletic Conference) (2014–present)
2014 Carnegie Mellon 4–6 3–5 T–7th
2015 Carnegie Mellon 8–3 6–2 T–3rd W ECAC Legacy Bowl
2016 Carnegie Mellon 7–4 6–2 T–3rd L ECAC Legacy Bowl
Carnegie Mellon: 203–110–2
Total: 203–110–2
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title

See also

References

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