EMORY, Va. – The Emory & Henry College Football Program will host a clinic for coaches the first weekend in May on the E&H campus. The clinic will run from Friday May 2 at 2:00 p.m. until Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m., and take place in the James H. Brooks Field House, home of the Wasps' football program. Emory & Henry is also pleased to announce Adidas as a corporate sponsor for the event.
Highlighting E&H's first coaches' clinic will be a dais of eight coaches including five Emory & Henry graduates, who have had very successful careers at the high school ranks. Former James Madison University Head Coach Mickey Matthews will be the keynote speaker on Friday evening while Bud Foster, Virginia Tech's defensive coordinator, will speak on Saturday morning.
Matthews served as the Head Coach at James Madison for 15 seasons, leading the Dukes to a 109-71 record during that time. JMU reached the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs during six years and won four conference titles between 1999 and 2008. In 2004, James Madison won the FCS Championship, posting a 13-2 record on the year.
Virginia Tech has reached 23-straight bowl games including three Orange Bowls in a four-year span. Since becoming a re-affiliated with a conference in 1991, the Hokies have won seven league titles. Under Foster, the VT defense has been key to the program's success, and is consistently ranked among the top in the nation.
Billy Mills is a graduate of Emory & Henry and is currently the head coach at Dinwiddie High School. This past season, the Generals completed a perfect 15-0 season, winning the VHSL 4A State Championship. In his 24 years as a coach, Mills has had teams in the playoffs 15 times and he has seen 36 players named All-State. Mills has been selected as Central District Coach of the Year five times, Region Coach of the Year three times, and has also earned State Coach of the Year honors.
Jamie Harless graduated from Emory & Henry in 1997 and is currently the head coach at Lord Botetourt High School. Harless was a two-time All-American for the Wasps and was inducted into the E&H Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. Prior to Lord Botetourt, he was the Defensive Coordinator at Cave Spring High School and Franklin County High School.
Burt Torrence is the head coach at Northside High School. He graduated in 1996 from E&H, where he was a four-year letterwinner. Torrence led Northside to a VHSL 3A State Championship this past fall, also winning a state title in 2009.
Graham Clark, a 1977 graduate of Emory & Henry, is the head coach at Dobyns Bennett High School. In 21 years at the helm, he has compiled a 225-51 record with multiple conference titles on his résumé. Clark is a four-time Big East Coach of the Year, and has won Northeast Tennessee and State Coach of the Year honors twice. He has also served as a coach for the Tennessee-Kentucky All-Star game on two occasions.
Thomas Nelson is the defensive coordinator at Murphy High School where he also coordinates the strength & conditioning program. He was an All-American performer in the defensive backfield, and still holds the E&H record for interceptions in a game and a career (16). He is also a member of the E&H Sports Hall of Fame. Under Nelson's guidance, Murphy has won six conference titles, four N.C. Western Regional Championships and a pair of state championships (2011, 2013).
The cost of the clinic is $30 per coach or $120 per coaching staff. Food will be available on Friday evening and Saturday at breakfast. Contact E&H Associate Head Coach Marshall Doss at (276) 944-6652 or via email at mdoss@ehc.edu with questions. A download of the flyer and registration form for the clinic is available by clicking HERE. Please make all checks payable to Emory & Henry College Football.
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