Randy Awrey (born April 27, 1956) 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 wit ...

coach, former player, and former

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

coach. He is the head football coach at Perquimans County High School in Hertford, North Carolina, a position he has held since 2018. Awrey served as the head football coach at

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Ken ...

(1990–1994), Lakeland College in

Sheboygan, Wisconsin Sheboygan () is a city in and the county seat of Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a populati ...

(1994–1998), Saginaw Valley State University (1999–2007), and Concordia University Chicago (2013–2017), compiling a career college football coaching record of 134–106–1. He was also the head track and field coach at

Michigan Technological University Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech, MTU, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Houghton, Michigan, founded in 1885 as the Michigan Mining School, the first post-secondary institution in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. ...

from 1982 to 1986 and St. Lawrence University from 1986 to 1990. Awrey played college football as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

at Northern Michigan University from 1974 to 1977 and was a member of the

1975 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team The 1975 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team represented Northern Michigan University during the 1975 NCAA Division II football season. Led by second-year head coach Gil Krueger, the Wildcats compiled a record, with victories over Central ...

, which won the NCAA Division II Football Championship title. He has been inducted in the athletics hall of fame at Northern Michigan, St. Lawrence, Lakeland, and Saginaw Valley State.

Early years and playing career

Awrey was born and raised in Iron Mountain, Michigan in the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

. He was a childhood friend of Steve Mariucci, with whom he played college football at Northern Michigan University. Awrey played for the Northern Michigan Wildcats football team as a

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

during his freshman year before switching to

. As a sophomore on the 1975 Northern Michigan team, he scored the winning touchdown on a 67-yard run in the second half of the Camellia Bowl, earning MVP honors for the game as the Wildcats captured the NCAA Division II Football Championship title over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. As a senior, Awrey earned honorable mention on the

1977 Little All-America college football team The 1977 Little All-America college football team is composed of college football players from small colleges and universities who were selected by the Associated Press (AP) as the best players at each position. First team Offense * Tight end - K ...

by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

. He finished his career for the Wildcats with 2,096 rushing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 45 receptions for 487 yards receiving. He graduated in 1978 from Northern Michigan with degrees in criminal justice, business administration, and physical education and health.

Coaching career

In 1981, Awrey coached the freshman football team at Westwood High School in Ishpeming Township, Michigan. In February 1990, Awrey was hired as the head football coach at

in Owensboro, Kentucky, succeeding Billy Mitchell, who had been fired the previous November. He resigned from his post at Kentucky Wesleyan in 1993 after leading the Panthers to a record of 11–29 in four seasons. His 1993 squad went 6–4, achieving the program's first winning season since the school reinstituted the sport in 1983 following a 50-year hiatus. Awrey moved on to Lakeland College—now known as Lakeland University—in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where he was introduced as the school's new head football coach in February 1994. After a 4–6 campaign during his first year at Lakeland in 1994, Awrey's Muskies improved to 6–3–1 overall in 1995 with a mark of 4–2 in Illini–Badger Football Conference (IBFC) play, and he was named IBFC Coach of the Year. In 1996, Lakeland improved again to 8–2, winning the IBFC championship as Awrey repeated as the conference's coach of the year. The Muskies won a second consecutive IBFC title in 1997 with a perfect 10–0 season. Awkrey resigned after the 1998 season to become the head football coach at Saginaw Valley State University in

University Center, Michigan University Center is an unincorporated community in Frankenlust Township, Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the name of the post office with the ZIP code of 48710. The locale is named for the institutions of higher education ser ...

. He finished his five-year tenure at Lakeland with a record of 35–14–1 and the best winning percentage (.700) of any head coach in program history. Awrey was the head football coach at Saginaw Valley State for nine seasons, from 1999 to 2007, compiling a record of 76–27. He has the highest winning percentage (.738) of any head coach Saginaw Valley State football history.

Honors

Awrey was inducted into the athletic hall of fame at Northern Michigan in 1998 and at Saginaw Valley State in 2022.

Head coaching record

College football

References

External links

Marietta profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Awrey, Randy 1956 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football running backs Concordia Cougars football coaches Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers football coaches Lakeland Muskies football coaches Marietta Pioneers football coaches Michigan Tech Huskies football coaches Northern Michigan Wildcats football coaches Northern Michigan Wildcats football players Saginaw Valley State Cardinals football coaches St. Lawrence Saints football coaches College track and field coaches in the United States High school football coaches in North Carolina People from Iron Mountain, Michigan Coaches of American football from Michigan Players of American football from Michigan