Athletics / Teams / Football / Coaching Staff /
Head Coach - Eric Hehman
Office: 330-471-8385
Eric Hehman begins his first season as the head coach of the Pioneer football team in 2010, taking over for four-year head coach Mike Gardner, who resigned following the 2009 season.
Prior to arriving at Malone, Hehman served as the head football coach at NCAA
Div. III Greenville (IL) College for the past five seasons and led the Panthers
to a 7-3 record in 2009 including a berth in the NCCAA Victory Bowl (losing to
Geneva College, PA 29-28), the first postseason appearance for Greenville since
2000. The team also captured the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference South
Division Championship (3-0 record), which was the first Div. III conference
title for the program. Hehman also
served as the Panthers’ Quarterbacks Coach this past season and as Special
Teams Coordinator for the past two years.
Prior to Greenville, he served at Trinity International University (IL) for six seasons (1999-2004) - as the Assistant Head Coach in 2004 and also as Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach, Offensive Line Coach and Defensive Line Coach during his tenure there. Hehman also coached at Taylor University (IN) from 1995-1999, serving as both the Offensive Line (1998) and Defensive Line (1995-97) Coach.
During his tenure at Taylor, Trinity International and Greenville, the football
programs he has been involved with had records of 1-9, 1-9 and 4-6 for his
first year but all later reached the postseason and/or a bowl game during his
stint there. Both Taylor and Trinity International won MSFA conference
titles during the time Hehman was coaching at the institutions.
“Eric has excellent experience working in the NAIA and NCAA,” commented Malone
Athletic Director Charlie Grimes upon hiring Hehman in December of 2009. “He
brings an awesome vision and philosophy to Canton, Ohio. Malone University
athletics expects championship play and changed lives, and I believe Eric
Hehman is exactly the man to help us do that.”
"I believe 100% this is where God wants us, and my goal in life is to do want he wants us to do and be where he wants me to be," said Hehman. "Leaving Greenville is not easy. We are leaving a program that I love, a community that cares, and a church that is dynamic, but I am convinced that Malone is where God wants us. I believe in the Mission of the university, the leadership of Athletic Director Charlie Grimes and the potential of Malone football to be a premier Christian college football program. My family and I are very excited to partner with Malone to help create a dynamic and successful football program that the players, parents, students, alumni and community will be proud of.”
A native of Columbus, Indiana, Hehman is a 1994 graduate of Taylor University (IN) with a B.S. in Physical Education. He also earned an M.A. in Sports Administration from Ball State University (IN) in 1999. Hehman, and his wife, Liz, and their two sons, Matthew and Micah, reside in Canton.
Assistant Coaches
Offensive Coordinator- Jeff DiSandro
Jeff DiSandro joins the Pioneer staff in 2010 as the
Offensive Coordinator. He comes to
Malone having worked on head coach Eric Hehman’s staff at Greenville College
(IL) for the past four seasons and he also coached at Trinity International
University (IL) for two years just prior to that. Between both of those schools, Jeff has
coached the offensive line, running backs, tight ends, slots and wide receivers
and he has been a part of offensive staffs that have produced three separate
offensive conference players of the year over this six-year period. Jeff has also overseen the development of 16
all-conference players, three All-Americans and one NCAA Div. III All-Region
player. This past season, he mentored
the top offensive lineman in the conference and Div. III All-American tight end
Zach Fredrich.
In his first year as an offensive coordinator, Jeff helped rebuild a Greenville
offense that scored just under 30 points per outing (in its final seven games)
and 33 points per game in conference play while catapulting Greenville to its
best season since 1993 despite playing its toughest schedule in the program’s
young history. DiSandro’s offenses
ranked near the top in rushing attack at the conference and/or national level
in ’04, ’06, ’07 and ’09.
DiSandro graduated from Olivet Nazarene University (IL) in 2004 with a BA in Criminal Justice and he also has an MA, Ed. from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. Jeff and his wife, Patty, have one son, Beniah John, who is 10 months old.
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Defensive Coordinator - Kyle Schenk
After serving as a linebackers coach at Malone during the 2007 season, Kyle Schenk returns to the Pioneer staff in 2010 as the squad’s defensive coordinator. Kyle spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers and serving as the special teams coordinator at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. During his time at Sterling, the Warriors boasted one of the top rushing defenses in the NAIA, ranking amongst the Top 10 in rushing yards allowed in both 2008 and 2009. Sterling’s special teams units also excelled under Kyle’s guidance as the Warriors were sixth in the nation in kickoff return yards per attempt in 2008 while also ranking 10th in the nation in punt return yards per attempt.
Prior to his first stint at Malone in 2007, Kyle held assistant coach positions on the defensive staffs at Greenville (IL) College, Taylor (IN) University, and Trinity International (IL) University. Overall, Kyle has coached a total of nine all-conference performers on defense and one all-conference kick returner.
Kyle graduated from Trinity International in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and a minor in Coaching. He then completed his master’s degree in Education from Greenville in 2008. A four-year starter at linebacker while at Trinity International, Kyle wrapped up his accomplished playing career as the Trojans’ all-time leading tackler. In addition, Kyle was a three-time All-MSFA Second Team selection (2000-2002) and earned TIU’s Trojan Award following the 2002 season.
Kyle, his wife, Kristen, and newborn son, Sawyer, currently reside in Canton.
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Offensive Line - Troy Schenk
Troy Schenk enters his fifth season at Malone University as the offensive line coach in 2010. He is a graduate of Trinity International (IL) University and has a bachelor’s degree in Sports and Wellness Management and a minor in Coaching. Schenk was the offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Sterling (KS) College in 2004 and 2005, during which time the team’s offense was ranked in the top five nationally in rushing for both seasons. In the fall of 2002, he was a graduate assistant coach in charge of linebackers for Trinity International. He also served as the tight ends and assistant offensive line coach along with being the special teams coordinator for Trinity International in the fall of 2003.
In four years at Malone, Troy’s unit has proved instrumental in the team’s overall offensive success as ten Pioneer offensive linemen have earned All-MSFA recognition during his tenure. He, his wife, Candace, and their daughter, Gracie (1), reside in Canton.Running Backs & Tight Ends - Cliff Schenk
Cliff Schenk returns for his fifth season on the Malone coaching staff and will now work with both the tight ends and running backs after coaching the defensive line in 2006 and 2007, running backs in 2008 and tight ends in 2009. Cliff is a 2001 graduate of Tabor (KS) College with bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Secondary Science. He was a two-time All-America Scholar Athlete during his playing career at Tabor and served as the defensive line coach at his alma mater during the 2004 and 2005 seasons.
At Malone, Cliff has coached four All-Conference defensive linemen and two All-Conference running backs. In 2007, the Pioneer defense ranked third in the MSFA against the run, was sixth in total sacks, and surrendered the second fewest first downs among the 16 schools in the conference. Then in 2008, Malone’s starting running backs combined for over 1500 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. Having experienced success coaching on both sides of the ball, Cliff will look to help the Pioneers maintain a high level of offensive production this fall.
Joshua Flannery joins the Malone staff in 2010 as the wide receivers coach and will be pursuing his Master’s Degree in Sport Ministry at the University. Josh was a wide receiver at Greenville College from 2004-2008 under current Pioneer head coach Eric Hehman and offensive coordinator Jeff DiSandro. During his final semester at Greenville, he helped coach receivers while completing his Bachelor’s Degree in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPR).
In 2009, Josh and his wife, Abby, moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where he became the wide receiver coach at Mountain View High School for both the varsity and freshmen teams. While at Mountain View, he helped the varsity squad reach the Colorado state semifinals with a 12-1 record.