Contact: dmontgomery [at] ehc [dot] edu or 276-944-6234
The leadership tradition of Emory & Henry Football has been champions focused on producing more champions – on the gridiron, in the classroom, and in life. This season marks the second senior class to play all four years for Head Coach Don Montgomery, who enters his fifth season at Emory & Henry. Over the past three seasons, Montgomery's squads have posted a .533 record, with 16 wins and 14 losses.This past season the Wasps finished tied for 1st place in the ODAC after being picked 7th.
Montgomery expects the most out of his players, and returns to them his devotion to excellence on and off the football feild. Montgomery’s players and coaching staff draw on his wealth of national championship experience earned over 27 years at his alma mater, Mount Union, a dominant Division III football national champion. A 1977 graduate of Mount Union, Montgomery holds a master’s degree in physical education from Indiana State University.On the field, Montgomery was an All-Ohio Athletic Conference Offensive Guard in 1976. That same year, he was named team co-captain and Offensive Most Valuable Player. In 1975, he received the Jack Thorpe Memorial Football Award.As a coach, his resume is even more impressive. He served as an assistant coach at Indiana State University before returning to his alma mater for 27 years prior to coming to Emory & Henry, succeeding Lou Wacker.
During his service at Mount Union, Montgomery was an offensive line coach, a defensive line coach, an inside linebacker coach and, for his last 19 years, the defensive coordinator. During his tenure at Mount Union he helped guide the Purple Raiders to becoming Division III’s most winning team in recent history, taking seven of the twelve national championships and 104 straight regular season games. As defensive coordinator, his teams led the nation in scoring defense and total defense numerous times.
In addition to football, Montgomery was the school’s head wrestling coach and strength & conditioning coach. He served 23 years as head wrestling coach. In those 23 years, he coached 34 All-Americans and led his teams to nine conference championships.Coach Montgomery counts among his coaching honors the 1999 AFCA National Assistant Coach of the Year Award. In 2004, he earned the College Coach Service Award by the Cleveland Touchdown Club. Coach Montgomery has recently been named one the nations "Hottest Coaches To Watch" by American Football Monthly.
Montgomery’s wife Theresa, serves as a P.E. instructor at Meadowview Elementary School. The couple resides in Glade Spring and has four children. Ann Marie is a 2002 graduate of Mount Union and is currently in Nursing School. Joey is in his third season as an Assistant Football Coach and Head Wrestling Coach for Muskingum College in Ohio. Katelyn (21) is a Senior at King College. Kara (15) attends Patrick Henry High.
