Usually a head coaching change is a sign of a broken football program, however when former head coach Chris Thomsen left ACU to be the offensive backs coach at Arizona State, a premier coaching opportunity in Division II football opened up.
ACU is one of only four schools in Div. II to have made the NCAA playoffs six years in a row, and currently is home to one of the top offenses in the nation led by quarterback Mitchell Gale.
As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and ACU director of athletics Jared Mosley did little fixing as he hired former ACU offensive coordinator Ken Collums to be ACU’s 19th head football coach.
“It made sense to me to go with Ken,” Mosley said. “He has been here since day one with Chris. Given their relationship, he was very much a part of the curriculum and vision of molding young men. I think he is one of the best offensive minds in the game. The talent comes in and out but the results have remained at an extremely high level.”
But the search process for a new coach wasn’t just restricted to the sidelines of Shotwell Stadium. Mosley considered many candidates before deciding on Collums.
“At the end of the day when you look at everything, you have a great opportunity at a guy who has been responsible for big areas of your program. It just made a lot of sense. He knows these guys, and the players know him.”
Collums, who came to ACU in 2005 with Coach Thomsen, has been the play caller for ACU’s successful offense. In five of the last seven years, the Wildcat offense has ranked in the top seven in the nation, and has produced NFL talent in players such as Bernard Scott, Johnny Knox, and Edmund “Clyde” Gates. Although he is in a new role, Collums will continue to call plays for the offense.
“There is no need for me to put my stamp on this program.” Collums said. “Number one, it’s not about me, it’s about continuing to build on what we have done here. There will be some changes, but nothing drastic.”
Chris Thomsen leaves ACU as one of the most successful coaches in program history. In Thomsen’s seven seasons, he was named the LSC Coach of the Year four times, including the 2010 season when he led the Wildcats to the program’s first ever 11-0 record.
“I think Coach Thomsen did an unbelievable job of putting the right people around him and creating a culture that ultimately resulted in a lot of success on and off the field,” Mosley said.
Thomsen leaves his alma mater with an on-field record of 61-21.
