Bill Lynch
Encyclopedia
Bill Lynch is a college athletics administrator and former American football
player and coach. Since March 2011, he has served at the Associate Athletic Director for Development at Butler University
. Lynch was the head football coach at Butler (1985–1989), Ball State University
(1995–2002), DePauw University
(2004), and Indiana University
(2007–2010), compiling a career college football
record of 100–97–3. Lynch has spent 33 years coaching football, with 32 of those years coming in the state of Indiana, where he was born and raised. He was inducteed into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame
in 2005.
in Indianapolis
in 1972. He moved on to Butler University
where was a four year letterwinner as the quarterback
for the football squad and a captain of the basketball team. He quarterbacked the football team to a 28–12 record, led the nation in pass percentage in 1975, and often jokes that he "held" Larry Bird
to 42 points in his final college basketball game.
. He then moved on to Northern Illinois University
to assist former Indiana University coach Lee Corso
for the 1984 season as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. During the winter of 1984, Lynch followed Corso and coached quarterbacks for the Orlando Renegades
of the short-lived USFL
.
In 1985, Lynch returned to Butler for five seasons as head coach. In four of those five years, his teams finished in the Top 20 Division II Poll. Lynch was then hired at Ball State University
and worked from 1990 to 1992 as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator before heading to Bloomington
for the 1993 and 1994 seasons as quarterbacks coach for Bill Mallory
's Indiana Hoosiers football
team.
In 1995, Lynch returned to Ball State as head coach. His most successful year in Muncie
came in 1996 when Lynch's Cardinal
s went 8–4, won the Mid-American Conference
title, and played in the Las Vegas Bowl
. Lynch was let go as head coach after the 2002 season. After a year off, Lynch was hired as the head coach at DePauw University
. He led the Tigers football team to an 8–2 record and was named co-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Coach of the Year in his only season as head coach.
, who had been hired as head coach at Indiana. There Lynch assumed the positions of assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight end
s coach. Under Lynch in 2006, the Hoosiers offense scored their most points since 2001 and quarterback Kellen Lewis enjoyed one of the best freshman seasons in school history.
In the spring of 2007, when Hoeppner took a leave of absence to attend to his health, Lynch took over spring practices and the daily work of head coach indefinitely. As Hoeppner 's illness became worse, Lynch was named interim head coach for the 2007 season. Four days after this announcement, on June 19, Hoeppner died from complications of brain cancer.
In his first season as head coach, Lynch led the 2007 Hoosiers
to a 7–6 record, the best for any Hoosier head coach in his first year since 1905 and the best record for an Indiana football team since 1993. The Hoosiers also earned their first bowl birth since 1993 with an invitation to the Insight Bowl
to play Oklahoma State
. After much speculation, Lynch signed a contract extension to coach the Hoosiers through 2012.
The 2008 Indiana team
was hampered by a number of injuries. Against Wisconsin
, the Hoosiers were forced to play three quarterbacks and four centers
. 13 starters in total were injured during the year. Still, Lynch was able to pull in the one the strongest recruiting classes in recent history.
2009 showed marked improvement on the field, although the record ledger failed to show it as the team took 4th quarter leads into three Big Ten road games before falling short.
During Lynch's tenure, the players established a Player's Leadership Council, which elect weekly game captains and select the community service organizations the team volunteers with. The Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington and Riley Children's Hospital of Indianapolis are two favorite causes of the team.
Lynch has been noted for his strong recruiting, including identifying and developing high character young men who want to be part of a family atmosphere.
On November 28, 2010, it was announced that Lynch would not return for the 2011 season.
. All three played collegiate football. He also has a daughter, Kelly, and nine grandchildren.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. Since March 2011, he has served at the Associate Athletic Director for Development at Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
. Lynch was the head football coach at Butler (1985–1989), Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
(1995–2002), DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
(2004), and Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
(2007–2010), compiling a career college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
record of 100–97–3. Lynch has spent 33 years coaching football, with 32 of those years coming in the state of Indiana, where he was born and raised. He was inducteed into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame
Indiana Football Hall of Fame
The Indiana Football Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in Richmond, Indiana. It honors persons associated with high school, college and professional American football in Indiana. It also works to establish scholarships and endowments to promote football in the state of Indiana...
in 2005.
High school and college
Lynch graduated from Bishop Chatard High SchoolBishop Chatard High School
Bishop Chatard High School is a Catholic co-educational preparatory high school located in the Broad Ripple district of Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
in 1972. He moved on to Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
where was a four year letterwinner as the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the football squad and a captain of the basketball team. He quarterbacked the football team to a 28–12 record, led the nation in pass percentage in 1975, and often jokes that he "held" Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
to 42 points in his final college basketball game.
Early coaching career
After graduating from Butler, Lynch spent seven seasons as an assistant there, where his positions included wide receivers coach, quarterbacks coach, recruiting coordinator, and offensive coordinatorOffensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
. He then moved on to Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
to assist former Indiana University coach Lee Corso
Lee Corso
Leland "Lee" Corso is a sports broadcaster and football analyst for ESPN. He has been featured on ESPN's College GameDay program since its inception and he appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football through NCAA Football 11...
for the 1984 season as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. During the winter of 1984, Lynch followed Corso and coached quarterbacks for the Orlando Renegades
Orlando Renegades
The Orlando Renegades were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-In Washington:-1983 season:...
of the short-lived USFL
United States Football League
The United States Football League was an American football league which was in active operation from 1983 to 1987. It played a spring/summer schedule in its first three seasons and a traditional autumn/winter schedule was set to commence before league operations ceased.The USFL was conceived in...
.
In 1985, Lynch returned to Butler for five seasons as head coach. In four of those five years, his teams finished in the Top 20 Division II Poll. Lynch was then hired at Ball State University
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
and worked from 1990 to 1992 as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator before heading to Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
for the 1993 and 1994 seasons as quarterbacks coach for Bill Mallory
Bill Mallory
William G. "Bill" Mallory is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , the University of Colorado at Boulder , Northern Illinois University , and Indiana University , compiling a career college football record of...
's Indiana Hoosiers football
Indiana Hoosiers football
The Indiana Hoosiers football program represents Indiana University Bloomington in NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football and in the Big Ten Conference.-Bowl games:...
team.
In 1995, Lynch returned to Ball State as head coach. His most successful year in Muncie
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
came in 1996 when Lynch's Cardinal
Ball State Cardinals football
The Ball State Cardinals football team represents Ball State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Mid-American Conference .-Recent history:...
s went 8–4, won the Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
title, and played in the Las Vegas Bowl
1996 Las Vegas Bowl
The 1996 Las Vegas Bowl was the 5th edition of that annual game. It featured the , and the . Ball State was 8-3, after winning 8 straight games following an 0-3 start. They also won the MAC football championship....
. Lynch was let go as head coach after the 2002 season. After a year off, Lynch was hired as the head coach at DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
. He led the Tigers football team to an 8–2 record and was named co-Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference , founded in 1962, is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas...
Coach of the Year in his only season as head coach.
Indiana University
Following his 2004 campaign at Depauw, Lynch resigned his duties as head coach to join long-time friend Terry HoeppnerTerry Hoeppner
Terry Hoeppner was an American college football coach who served as head coach of the Miami RedHawks from 1999 to 2004 and the Indiana Hoosiers from 2005 to 2006...
, who had been hired as head coach at Indiana. There Lynch assumed the positions of assistant head coach, offensive coordinator, and tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
s coach. Under Lynch in 2006, the Hoosiers offense scored their most points since 2001 and quarterback Kellen Lewis enjoyed one of the best freshman seasons in school history.
In the spring of 2007, when Hoeppner took a leave of absence to attend to his health, Lynch took over spring practices and the daily work of head coach indefinitely. As Hoeppner 's illness became worse, Lynch was named interim head coach for the 2007 season. Four days after this announcement, on June 19, Hoeppner died from complications of brain cancer.
In his first season as head coach, Lynch led the 2007 Hoosiers
2007 Indiana Hoosiers football team
The 2007 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented Indiana University during the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hoosiers were coached by Bill Lynch, who was in his first season as head coach following the death of Terry Hoeppner. The Hoosiers played their home games in Memorial...
to a 7–6 record, the best for any Hoosier head coach in his first year since 1905 and the best record for an Indiana football team since 1993. The Hoosiers also earned their first bowl birth since 1993 with an invitation to the Insight Bowl
2007 Insight Bowl
The 2007 Insight Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 31, 2007, at Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona....
to play Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
. After much speculation, Lynch signed a contract extension to coach the Hoosiers through 2012.
The 2008 Indiana team
2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team
The 2008 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented the Indiana University during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hoosiers were coached by Bill Lynch and played their home games in Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana.-Schedule:...
was hampered by a number of injuries. Against Wisconsin
2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team
The 2008 Wisconsin Badgers football team represented the University of Wisconsin–Madison during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Badgers were coached by Bret Bielema and played their home games at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisconsin....
, the Hoosiers were forced to play three quarterbacks and four centers
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
. 13 starters in total were injured during the year. Still, Lynch was able to pull in the one the strongest recruiting classes in recent history.
2009 showed marked improvement on the field, although the record ledger failed to show it as the team took 4th quarter leads into three Big Ten road games before falling short.
During Lynch's tenure, the players established a Player's Leadership Council, which elect weekly game captains and select the community service organizations the team volunteers with. The Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington and Riley Children's Hospital of Indianapolis are two favorite causes of the team.
Lynch has been noted for his strong recruiting, including identifying and developing high character young men who want to be part of a family atmosphere.
On November 28, 2010, it was announced that Lynch would not return for the 2011 season.
Family
Lynch's son, Billy, was the wide receivers coach at Indiana University. Another son, Joey, is the wide receivers coach at Ball State, and his youngest son Kevin is the wide receivers coach at the University of IndianapolisUniversity of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...
. All three played collegiate football. He also has a daughter, Kelly, and nine grandchildren.