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 with ...

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 events ...

coach. He is the head football coach at

Perquimans County High School Perquimans County High School is a public high school located in Hertford, North Carolina. It is the only high school in Perquimans County. Perquimans County High School's enrollment as of 2010 is 519 students. The student body is 59% White; 39% ...

Hertford, North Carolina Hertford is a town and the county seat of Perquimans County, North Carolina, United States. The current population of Hertford, North Carolina is 1,912 based on the 2020 census. The US Census estimates the 2021 population at 1,925. The last offici ...

, 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 Kent ...

(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 populatio ...

(1994–1998),

Saginaw Valley State University Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is a public university in University Center, Michigan in Saginaw County. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. It is located on in Saginaw County's Kochville Township, approximately north of ...

(1999–2007), and

Concordia University Chicago Concordia University Chicago is a private university in River Forest, Illinois. Formerly a college exclusively for parochial teacher education, Concordia-Chicago now offers more than 100 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and enrolls more t ...

(2013–2017), compiling a career

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

coaching record of 134–106–1. He was also the head track and field coach at Michigan Technological University from 1982 to 1986 and St. Lawrence University from 1986 to 1990. Awrey played

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University (Northern Michigan, Northern or NMU) is a public university in Marquette, Michigan. It was established in 1899 by the Michigan Legislature as Northern State Normal School. In 1963, the state designated Northern a uni ...

from 1974 to 1977 and was a member of the 1975 Northern Michigan Wildcats football team, which won the

NCAA Division II Football Championship The NCAA Division II Football Championship is an American college football tournament played annually to determine a champion at the NCAA Division II level. It was first held in 1973, as a single-elimination tournament with eight teams. The tourna ...

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 Iron Mountain is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,518 at the 2020 census, down from 7,624 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dickinson County, in the state's Upper Peninsula. Iron Mountain was named for the va ...

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 Stephen Ray Mariucci (born November 4, 1955), nicknamed "Mooch", is an American sportscaster and former football coach who was the head coach of two National Football League teams, the San Francisco 49ers (1997–2002) and the Detroit Lions (200 ...

, with whom he played

. Awrey played for the

Northern Michigan Wildcats football The Northern Michigan Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northern Michigan University, located in Marquette, Michigan, in NCAA intercollegiate sporting competitions. All teams that play under NCAA governance compete at the Division I ...

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 tur ...

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 Camellia Bowl can refer to one of three college football bowl games: * Camellia Bowl (1948) The Camellia Bowl was a post-season major college football bowl game played at McNaspy Stadium in Lafayette, Louisiana, on December 30, 1948, between t ...

, earning MVP honors for the game as the Wildcats captured the

title over the

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...

. As a senior, Awrey earned honorable mention on the 1977 Little All-America college football team 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. newspa ...

. 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 Ishpeming Township is a civil township of Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,513 at the 2010 census. The city of Ishpeming is to the south, but the two are administered autonomously. Communities * The city of ...

. In February 1990, Awrey was hired as the head football coach at

Owensboro, Kentucky Owensboro is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Daviess County, Kentucky, United States. It is the fourth-largest city in the state by population. Owensboro is located on U.S. Route 60 and Interstate 165 about southwest of Lou ...

, succeeding

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

, 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 Lakeland University is a private university with its main campus in Plymouth, Wisconsin. Lakeland University is affiliated with the United Church of Christ. Lakeland also has seven evening, weekend, and online centers located throughout the st ...

—in

Plymouth, Wisconsin Plymouth is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, along the Mullet River. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in the Town of Plymouth, but is politically independent. Plymouth is kno ...

, 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 The Illini-Badger Football Conference (IBFC) was an athletic conference with the NCAA's Division III. Member teams were located in Illinois and Wisconsin. As the name indicates, member teams only competed in football. They participated in other a ...

(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

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 served b ...

. 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