IUP announced December 17, 2010, that head football coach Lou Tepper will not return for the 2011 season.
“Our football program needs to move in a new direction,” Athletic Director Frank Condino said. “After a thorough review of the program's history and this season, I don't have confidence that the current leadership can change course and position the team for a stronger future.”
IUP finished the 2009 season with a 5-6 record and went 6-5 this season, posting an 11-11 record over the last two seasons. Tepper, who was hired by IUP in January 2006, had a five-year record of 36-18 with the Crimson Hawks and is 101-75-2 overall including head coaching stints at Illinois and Edinboro.
“We were expecting the team to be more competitive in both the PSAC and the NCAA Super Region 1,” Condino said. “A record of 11-11 over the last two years is not what our supporters expect, and it's not what they deserve.”
Condino expressed his appreciation for Tepper and the years of service he gave to IUP and the Crimson Hawks football program.
“These are always difficult decisions,” Condino said. “Coach Tepper has had an enviable career on the highest competitive stages of collegiate football, and he and his staff have undoubtedly made an enormous impact on the lives of the young men they have coached and mentored.
“We are indebted for the contributions coach Tepper and his staff have made to the players, the athletic department, IUP, and the greater Indiana area.”
Condino made the recommendation to David Werner, interim president at IUP, who agreed that a change was needed. Such decisions ultimately reside with the president of the university.
“A clear case for moving the program in a different direction was presented, and upon careful consideration of the program's recent performance, it was evident to me that a change in leadership of the football program was the best option for effecting that change,” Werner said.
The search for Tepper's replacement will begin immediately.