HENRY STANFORD TO LEAD CRUSADER FOOTBALL PROGRAM

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Capital University announced Thursday that offensive coordinator Henry Stanford has been selected as the 10th head coach of the Crusader football program.  

 
"Henry Stanford is an energetic young coach with proven success in the Ohio Athletic Conference,” said Capital University Director of Athletics Dawn Stewart. “He significantly contributed to our success on the offensive side of the ball and we are excited to follow his vision for developing the whole program."  
 
 “I am thankful to Capital for this opportunity and I am excited about being able to help young men obtain their goals both on and off the field,” Stanford said. “It is an honor to lead this great football program, and I look forward to continuing its legacy of developing student-athletes who achieve success on the field and in the classroom. The future is bright for Capital football.”
 
Stanford has been on campus since the start of the 2008 season as an assistant coach on the offensive side of the ball including serving as the offensive coordinator last fall.  Under his guidance the CU spread offense ranked second in the OAC in total offense, passing yardage, first downs and fewest sacks allowed while recording just the second 1,000 yard rusher in school history.  
 
Stanford takes over a program that just completed its most successful decade in school history with 72 wins and three trips to the NCAA Tournament, a record that places Capital in the top two football programs in the conference. The Crusaders are also one of just 10 programs in Division III to be nationally ranked in seven consecutive seasons.
 
“The vision at Capital has always been to pursue greatness in every area of our program. Those efforts will continue with a successful spring ball session over the next few weeks,” Stanford said. “We will leverage our position as a top private university in the Midwest with a nationally ranked football program to attract talented student-athletes to attend Capital.  Ultimately, we will move into a new era in Capital Football.”
 
Stanford also served as the recruiting coordinator of CU football for the past two seasons and has 14 years of collegiate coaching experience dating back to his days as a student assistant coach for Ohio State during the Buckeyes’ 1996 and 1998 Big Ten Championship teams. He came to Capital in 2008 after spending the previous four years at Elmhurst College, in Illinois, including three seasons as associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator. Overall, Stanford has coached 39 All-Conference selections in the past 14 years.
 
During his time at Elmhurst, the Blue Jays won 22 games and were near the top of the conference annually in scoring, passing, rushing and third-down conversions. Stanford coached 12 All-Conference selections at Elmhurst to follow up a successful coaching career that has included stints at Tiffin (1999 and 2003), Otterbein (2000 and 2001) and Kenyon (2002). He also served as an intern coach for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals during training camp in 2007.
 
“The students that I have worked with make coaching a dream job because they are truly student-athletes who believe in the balance between academics and athletics,” Stanford said. “The ability to guide students during the next four years of their lives is exciting. However, our program will help them prepare for a meaningful, well-rounded life.”

Stanford takes over for Jim Bickel who left Capital to become the defensive coordinator at Ohio Dominican. Bickel was head coach of the Crusaders for two seasons following a seven-year stint as the defensive coordinator at CU.
 
Located in the Columbus, Ohio, neighborhood of Bexley, Capital University is a private, four-year undergraduate institution and graduate school. Capital prepares students for meaningful lives and purposeful careers through a relevant liberal arts core curriculum and deep professional programs taught by a renowned faculty that engages students. It consistently is ranked among the top master’s universities in the Midwest. Influenced by its Lutheran heritage, Capital places great emphasis on the free and open exchange of ideas, seeking out diverse perspectives, active participation in society, leadership and service. It is the oldest and one of the largest universities affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

News Release By:  Bill Thomas, Capital SID