The ACU football coaching staff added some depth to its numbers Monday when head coach Chris Thomsen announced the addition of Jack Kiser, an assistant coach for the Wildcats who will coach the defensive line.
Kiser, a household name on the ACU campus, joined his alma mater after a brief time in the business world, and will begin his second stint of coaching the purple and white.
Kiser, a seasoned coach with more than 15 years of coaching experience, was under the helm for the Wildcats as head coach from 1996-1999, where he led the ‘Cats to a 21-20.
One factor that Kiser instantly brings to the table is coaching experience, and that is a valuable tool, said director of athletics Jared Mosley.
“Jack’s experiences over the course of time are going to be very beneficial, not only to the program, but to our student-athletes as well. His résumé speaks for itself. He’s going to come in quickly and fit right in,” Mosley said.
Head coach Chris Thomsen, who secured his first job at ACU in 1994 under Kiser’s leadership and eventually became an offensive coordinator, echoed Mosley in saying that Kiser’s experience with the clipboard will pay big dividends for ACU football.
“Jack is a seasoned, proven coach who knows what it takes to win. He’s worked at large programs such as Texas and Texas Tech and has seen it all. He knows what he’s talking about and will be a valuable tool for us,” Thomsen said.
Kiser, a 1971 graduate of ACU, began his coaching career at the University of Texas, where he was the graduate assistant coach. He then moved on to high school coaching jobs in Palestine, Lockhart, and Midland. Kiser joined ACU as a volunteer coach from 1980-82.
After a short break from coaching, Kiser returned to the gridiron and landed a job at Texas Tech University in 1986, but then returned to the University of Texas as a defensive assistant in 1987. He left the Longhorns in 1991 to become the defensive coordinator at Southwest Texas State University before returning to ACU.
When asked why he believed Kiser wanted to return to coaching, Thomsen commented that Jack possesses two qualities that can withstand the test of time: passion and a desire to succeed.
