Head Coach - Eric Hehman

Office: 330-471-8385

E-mail:

Malone University Athletic Director Charlie Grimes announced on December 28th that Eric Hehman has been named the new head coach of the Pioneer football team.  Hehman takes over for four-year head coach Mike Gardner, who resigned recently to take the head coaching position at his former institution, Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas.

Hehman has served as the head football coach at NCAA Div. III Greenville (IL) College for the past five seasons having 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 have all reached playoffs 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 Grimes. “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 has 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 Greenville.

 

Assistant Coaches

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.

Troy Schenk enters his fourth season at Malone University as the offensive line coach. 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 three years at Malone, Troy’s unit has proved instrumental in the team’s overall offensive success as the squad had four offensive linemen earn All-MSFA recognition in both 2007 and 2008.  He, his wife, Candace, and their daughter, Gracie (1), reside in Canton.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cliff Schenk returns for his fourth season on the Malone coaching staff and he will now work with the tight ends after coaching the defensive line in 2006 and 2007 and the running backs in 2008.  Cliff is a 2001 graduate of Tabor (KS) College with bachelor’s degrees in Elementary Education and Secondary Science.  He was a two-time Academic All-American 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.  Cliff will now look to continue his coaching success as he begins working with the tight ends this fall.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

                                                        Linebackers - Kevin Kapostasy

Kevin Kapostasy begins his first season on the Malone coaching staff and will work with the linebackers.  After an impressive four-year playing career, Kevin recently graduated from Malone with a bachelor’s degree in Community Health Education.

From 2004-2007, he excelled at the linebacker position for the Pioneers, earning MSFA Mideast Honorable Mention accolades in 2007 after ranking fourth on the team that season with 67 total tackles.  

Kevin, who is in his first year of coaching, currently resides in Jackson Township.

                                                       Wide Receivers - Josh Flannery

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.