Hall of Fame
Mike Houston took the Bears to the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 2013, further than all but three other teams in the 100-year history of Lenoir-Rhyne football. In his three years as head coach, Houston posted a 29-8 overall record and was named the league’s Coach of the Year in all three seasons. Houston led LR to SAC Championships in all three of his years at the helm and went 4-2 in NCAA Playoff games. Prior to his tenure as a head coach, the Bears hadn’t won a SAC Championship since 1994.
Houston coached 11 players who went on to become All-Americans under his leadership and had three different offensive linemen win the SAC Jacobs Blocking Trophy in his tenure. Houston’s 2013 squad still holds the NCAA Division II record for most rushing yards in a season with 5,563. The 13 wins in 2013 is tied for the most wins in a single-season in Bears’ history.
Houston also served as LR’s Defensive Coordinator for four seasons (2007-10) before being elevated to head coach in the spring of 2011.
Houston went on to win a Division I FCS National Championship in 2016 at James Madison. That season, he was named AFCA Division I FCS Coach of the Year. He has also served as the Head Coach at The Citadel and East Carolina in his career.
