Colby Don Carthel (born August 29, 1976) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

coach who is the

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

at Stephen F. Austin State University, a position he has held since December 2018. Colby's first head coaching stint was at

Texas A&M University-Commerce Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

, where he won the Division II National Championship in 2017. Previous to his time as head coach, he was the defensive coordinator for his father and former

West Texas A&M University West Texas A&M University (WTAMU or WT) is a public university in Canyon, Texas. It is the northernmost campus of the Texas A&M University System and accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It was established on S ...

head coach, Don Carthel, from 2006 to 2012. He played college football at

Angelo State University Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the same year it too ...

, where he was an all-conference linebacker.

Early life

Carthel was born in

Floydada, Texas Floydada ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Floyd County, Texas, United States. This rural community lies on the high plains of the Llano Estacado in West Texas and is sometimes referred to as the Pumpkin Capital of Texas. The population was ...

, and was reared in

West Texas West Texas is a loosely defined region in the U.S. state of Texas, generally encompassing the arid and semiarid lands west of a line drawn between the cities of Wichita Falls, Abilene, and Del Rio. No consensus exists on the boundary betwee ...

. He attended Friona High School in Friona, Texas, where he captained the football team and led them to a district championship during the 1994 season. He also went to the State Track & Field Championships for his high school, placing fourth in the

discus throw The discus throw (), also known as disc throw, is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than their competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by th ...

. He graduated from Friona High School in 1995.

Playing career

Carthel played college football at

. He started at

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

for the

Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in T ...

title. He was a four-year letterman and starter for the Angelo State, as well as a three-time Academic All-Conference winner. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

Coaching career

Early career

Upon graduation from Angelo State in 2000, Carthel began his coaching career as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator at Abilene Christian University, where he remained until 2006. In 2006 his father, Don Carthel, named him the defensive coordinator on his staff at

Texas A&M–Commerce

In 2013, Carthel was hired as the 19th head football coach at

. The program was coming off of two back-to-back 1–9 seasons, the worst two-year stretch in school history. Carthel quickly established a new culture in Commerce that saw 50 of the 85 players leave the program. Carthel and his staff quickly plugged in the missing parts with mainly Junior College transfers and Division I transfers to quickly rebuild the program. Former Auburn University quarterback Tyrik Rollison, who had been considered the best high school quarterback in Texas in the class of 2010, transferred to Texas A&M-Commerce and was one of many JUCO and Division I players from the Dallas/Fort Worth and Northeast Texas area that transferred to A&M-Commerce to play for the Lions.

2013 season

Carthel and the Lions started his first season by opening with a home win again

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande Colle ...

51–6. The next week in front of 20,000 LSC fans at AT&T Stadium, Carthel's Lions upset the 22nd ranked Delta State. The next week Carthel the Lions faced off with his former team, West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas. The Lions stunned the crowd by jumping out to a 14–7 lead, but were bested by a prolific Buffalo team 68–28, and then dropped a 30–24 decision to Midwestern State the next week in Commerce. After a 2–2 start, the Lions rolled out 4 straight wins defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State 31–29,

Texas A&M-Kingsville Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by bo ...

41–28,

McMurry McMurry is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Frank Morton McMurry (1862–1936), American educator * John E. McMurry, whose name is given to the McMurry reaction *Lillian McMurry (1921–1999), American record producer See also ...

65–43, and arch-rival Tarleton State 22–20. The Lions rounded out the season by dropping a close loss to the

Angelo State Rams The Angelo State Rams, also known as ASU Rams, are the athletic teams that represent Angelo State University, located in San Angelo, Texas, in intercollegiate sports at the NCAA Division II, Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic As ...

25–20, bouncing back against Division I

Houston Baptist Huskies The Houston Christian Huskies, HCU or Huskies (formerly known as Houston Baptist, HBU) are the athletic teams that represent Houston Christian University, located in Houston, Texas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I leve ...

55–21, and ending the season with a last second 42–35 loss to Eastern New Mexico. Despite the late season loss, the Lions were invited to the 2013 LiveUnited Texarkana Bowl to finish the season 7–5 overall and fifth in the conference.

2014 season

Carthel's 2014 A&M–Commerce squad led the nation in points per game with an average of 54.1, and yards per game with an average of 535.4. They opened the season with a record-breaking performance against East Texas Baptist in which they scored 98 points and amassed 986 total yards of offense and 13 touchdowns. The win gained the Lions national exposure as it was reported on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

's SportsCenter that same night. The next day, head coach Colby Carthel was interviewed by ESPN's

Linda Cohn Linda Cohn (born ) is an American sportscaster. She anchors ESPN's ''SportsCenter''. Early life and education Cohn grew up in a Jewish family on Long Island, New York. As a child, she would watch sports on TV with her father, who is a huge sp ...

in regards to the win. In that win the Lions set national and conference records for points scored, yards gained, and total offense in a game. The Lions also defeated A&M-Kingsville, Tarleton State, West Texas A&M, Angelo State, and Tarleton State a second time in the conference playoffs. The lone losses were to the Division I Stephen F. Austin State Lumberjacks, Midwestern State, and to Angelo State in a conference finals rematch. The Lions won the

Lone Star Conference The Lone Star Conference (LSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in the southwestern United States, with schools in T ...

championship for the 21st time in school history, the first time since the 1990 season. The Lions were left out of the NCAA playoffs, but were invited back to the postseason, which resulted in a 72–21 win over

East Central University East Central University (ECU or East Central) is a public university in Ada, Oklahoma. It is part of Oklahoma's Regional University System. Beyond its flagship campus in Ada, the university has courses available in McAlester, Shawnee, and Duran ...

in the

C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl The C.H.A.M.P.S. Heart of Texas Bowl (known as the HOT Bowl for short) is the name for two annual American football bowl games played in Central Texas. The first and older of the two HOT Bowls, which has been played since 2001, features two comm ...

, the win was the first postseason win for the program since a 1991 win over Grand Valley State in the 1991 NCAA first round of the playoffs to finish the season 9–3. The 2014 team saw Ricky Collins,

Vernon Johnson Vernon E. Johnson (August 23, 1920 – April 30, 1999) was an Episcopal priest and recovering alcoholic who devoted his life to a claimed method of alcohol intervention. Johnson's main achievements lie in the field of treatment of chemical depend ...

, and Charles Tuaau be called to the NFL.

2015 season

Prior to the start of the 2015 season the Lions were picked second to finish behind Angelo State. The Lions started out with a win against Adams State followed by a loss to a top ten Delta State team in a last second thriller. Carthel then guided the Lions to their second straight conference championship with an undefeated conference record, and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the first time since 1995, where they lost to the

Ferris State Bulldogs The Ferris State Bulldogs (FSU Bulldogs) are the athletic teams that represent Ferris State University, located in Big Rapids, Michigan, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sporting competitions. The Bulldogs compete as members of the Great Lakes ...

in the first round of the playoffs, finishing 8–4 overall ranked #20 in the nation. The Lions were guided by former University of Nevada QB Harrison Stewart, Running Back Richard Cooper, Receiver Lance Evans, and Defensive Standouts Toni Pulu and Cole Pitts. Stewart threw for over 3,300 yards, putting him second all time for single season passing yards in Lion football History, while Cooper was an All-American and Evans, Pulu, and Pitts were all first team All-LSC Conference. The Lions led the conference in passing offense and total offense.

2016 season

In the spring of 2016, Carthel was rewarded with a contract extension with options that would keep him Commerce until 2018. In his first three seasons as head coach he led the team to a total of three postseason appearances, two LSC championships, and seven or more wins in each season. He also helped lead a number of players to the NFL. Carthel's Lions started the season ranked 9th in the nation and picked to win the Lone Star Conference for the third straight year. All-American running back Richard Cooper returned for his senior season and was picked preseason conference back of the year. The Lions ran out to a 5–0 record to start the season, but lost by 1 point to Midwestern State in a back and forth affair in Commerce. The Lions then reeled off 5 straight wins and clinched their third straight LSC Championship after Midwestern lost to Eastern New Mexico in the final game of the season. The Lions once again were selected for the NCAA Division II national playoffs and hosted a first-round game for the first time since 1991. The Lions defeated 24th ranked Colorado-Mesa, setting them up with the second ranked Grand Valley State Lakers. The Lions bowed out in the second round to the Lakers, ending the season at 11–2. Lions Quarterback Luis Perez was selected as a Harlon Hill Trophy nominee, while punter Hector Dominguez was first team All-American and offensive lineman Jared Machorro was named second team All-American. Return specialist Shawn Hooks and linebacker Uriah Harris were both named All-Region team and the Lions placed 8 members on the All-Lone Star Conference first team, including Cooper, Perez, Hooks, Harris, Dominguez, Machorro, Defensive lineman Tavita Faaiu, and Wideout Lance Evans. The Lions 11–2 season was the most wins for the Lions since 1953 and the first time the Lions had double digit wins since 1990. In December 2016, TAMUC President Dr. Ray Keck and Athletic Director Tim McMurray announced they were extending Carthel's contract yet again, this time until 2020.

2017 season

Carthel's Lions were picked to win a fourth straight Lone Star Conference title by the league's coaches and media. All-American Quarterback Luis Perez returned for his Senior season along with Pre-Season All-American Jared Machorro. The Lions started their season 4–0, reaching # 2 in the polls before losing to Midwestern State University in a close 47–42 affair. The Lions finished the season 9–1, second in the Lone Star Conference behind Midwestern State. The Lions qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the third straight season. In the first round, the Lions traveled to

Winona State University Winona State University (Winona) is a public university in Winona, Minnesota. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first no ...

and defeated the Warriors 20–6. In the second round, the Lions defeated

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...

in come from behind fashion in double overtime, 34–31. In the Super Region 4 Championship game, the Lions defeated Minnesota State University-Mankato 31–21. The Lions then hosted the Harding Bisons at Memorial Stadium in

Commerce, Texas Commerce is a city in Hunt County, Texas, United States, situated on the eastern edge of North Texas, in the heart of the Texas Blackland Prairies. The town is south of the Texas/Oklahoma border. Commerce is the second-largest city in Hunt Count ...

, in the National semifinals, the first time the Lions had played in the National semifinals since being in the NAIA during the 1980 season. The Lions defeated the Bison 31–17 to earn a spot in the national championship game against

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

University. The Lions defeated the Argonauts 37–27 to win their first national championship since 1972 and their first since as a member of the NCAA. Lions Quarterback Luis Perez won the

Harlon Hill Trophy The Harlon Hill Trophy is an award in American college football given to the individual selected as the most valuable player in NCAA Division II. The award is named for former University of North Alabama and National Football League player Har ...

, and the Lions finished the season ranked a consensus # 1 in the country.

2018 season

Carthel's Lions were selected as a preseason national # 1 team and also picked to win the Lone Star Conference. The season started with a televised overtime thriller by beating rival

for the 7th straight season, something no other Lion coach had ever done. The Lions then defeated William Jewell College 27–17 and Lone Star Conference foe Eastern New Mexico 21–11. The Lions then lost their first game of the season to 22nd ranked Colorado State Pueblo 23–13. The Loss to CSU-P was only the second time in the Carthel era that the Lions were held without an offensive touchdown. The Lions made personnel changes on offense and rebounded to soundly defeat Lock Haven (Pennsylvania) 68–6, and then avenged their only loss of the previous season by beating Midwestern State 20–19. The MSU game was played in odd circumstances as the Lions and Mustangs played to a 10–10 tie in the first half in

Wichita Falls, Texas Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the seat of government of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita counties. Accord ...

, but could not continue due to inclement weather. The schools mutually agreed to continue the second half of the game at

Apogee Stadium Apogee Stadium is a college football stadium located at the junction of Interstate 35 East and West in Denton, Texas. Opened in 2011, it is home to the University of North Texas (UNT) Mean Green football team, which competes in Conference US ...

on the campus of

The University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

, that following afternoon. After defeating MSU, the Lions lost for the first time in 5 years to A&M System rival

Tarleton State University Tarleton State University is a public university with its main campus in Stephenville, Texas. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 14,000 students in the fall of 2020. History John Tarleton Agricultura ...

47–21. Again, the Lions rebounded by routing Western New Mexico 55–7 and defeating another cross state rival, West Texas A&M, 41–16. The Lions finished the season with a close win against Texas-Permian Basin 20–17 and clinched a spot in the NCAA Division II playoffs for the fourth straight season with a 41–13 win over Angelo State. The Lions finished the regular season with a 9–2 record, a # 15 national ranking, LSC runner-ups, and Carthel was named Lone Star Conference Coach of The Year. They then defeated an undefeated and top 5 ranked Minnesota-Duluth team 33–17 in the first round of the NCAA Division II Playoffs, before bowing out in a second round rematch against conference foe Tarleton State 34–28 to end the year at 10–3.

Stephen F. Austin

On December 2, 2018, Carthel was named the head football coach at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Personal life

Carthel is married to Sarah Carthel (''née'' Butler), who is one of the Lone Star Conference's most successful volleyball players and coaches. Upon her husband's move to

Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

, she resigned her position at WT and became assistant head coach for the A&M–Commerce volleyball program. The Carthels have a one-year-old son named Major and reside in Commerce.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Stephen F. Austin profile

Texas A&M–Commerce profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carthel, Colby 1976 births Living people American football linebackers Abilene Christian Wildcats football coaches Angelo State Rams football players Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks football coaches Texas A&M–Commerce Lions football coaches West Texas A&M Buffaloes football coaches People from Floydada, Texas People from Parmer County, Texas Coaches of American football from Texas Players of American football from Texas