ELMHURST COLLEGE NAMES TOM JOURNELL HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

ELMHURST, Ill. February 11, 2004 -- Elmhurst College has selected Tom Journell as its new head football coach. Journell, an assistant head coach at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for the past 15 years, becomes the 16th head coach in the College’s history.

Journell takes over for Paul Krohn, who stepped down this past December to become Elmhurst’s Athletic Director.

“Tom Journell exudes integrity and honesty,” said Krohn. “I know that we can depend on Tom to give us his best. He’ll be a great addition to the college and to the community”

Journell will inherit a Bluejay football team that’s coming off its most successful season in 16 years. The Bluejays finished the 2003 season with a 6-4 overall record. In the four games the Bluejays lost, Elmhurst was outscored by an average of fewer than seven points. Elmhurst returns eight starters on offense and six starters on defense from last season’s 6-4 team that shattered multiple school records.

“It’s been a life-long dream for me to be the head coach of a College that has a ‘small school’ atmosphere,” said Journell. “It’s what I’ve prepared myself for and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity. Coach Krohn and his staff have done a tremendous job with the Elmhurst football team and I’m excited to work hand-in-hand with them and build on their recent success.”

Journell’s love for the NCAA Division III combination of academic and athletics began when he attended Wittenberg University (Ohio) and was a four-year participant on the football and baseball teams. He graduated from Wittenberg with a degree in health and physical education in 1987.

From Wittenberg, he signed on as a graduate assistant coach at Miami University (Ohio). He assisted in coaching the defensive secondary and linebackers while also participating in recruiting and the strength and conditioning program. He earned a master of science degree from Miami in 1989.

Journell joined the coaching staff of UW-River Falls in 1989 and has remained with the team for the past 15 seasons. He served as the secondary coach in 1989 before being promoted to defensive coordinator a year later. He was promoted again in 1995, this time to assistant head coach, a position he has held the last eight years.

Journell’s UW-River Falls teams have experienced a great deal of success, earning a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) championship in 1998 and earning NCAA Division III playoff invitations in 1995 (when they advanced to the quarterfinals of the national playoffs) and 1996. His teams led the WIAC in scoring defense four times (1992, 1995, 1996, 1999) and total defense three times (1992, 1995, 1999). In 15 seasons, UW-River Falls compiled an 86-60-3 record (.587) with Journell as an assistant.

He was certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and has served as UW-River Falls’ strength and conditioning coach for the past eight seasons. He also coached UW-River Fall’s only national champion in the discus and coached three All-American throwers while serving as the track and field team’s throws coach during the 1996 season.

Success in the classroom in addition to on the field has been stressed by Journell. In 15 years, UW-River Falls graduated 145 of 146 players (who finished all four-years of eligibility at UW-River Falls) while also having the WIAC’s highest team grade-point average in 2001 and 2002.

“I’m a big proponent of the Division III philosophy,” said Journell. “I want our athletes to excel academically and athletically.”

Journell has three immediate goals for the Elmhurst College football team.

“The first goal that I have for my players is that I want every single one of them to graduate and be able to work in a field that they’re excited to be a part of,” he said. “Secondly, I want every team member to compete with honesty and integrity and truly have a great experience playing college football. Lastly, I expect us to be in a position to be able to compete for College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) championships each year.”

Journell feels that the groundwork to achieve his third goal is already in place. “The stage is set for my third goal to become a reality,” he said. “Coach Krohn and his staff did a great job of establishing offensive and defensive systems that have worked well. It’s my job to come in and learn those systems and add to them. I don’t plan on coming to Elmhurst and making sweeping changes. I’m going to simply build upon what is already in place.”

A native of Eaton, Ohio, Journell and his wife, Betsy, have a six-year old son, Mack.

Kevin Juday
Sports Information Director
Elmhurst College
630-617-3380
Fax: 630-617-3282