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| Thiel athletics photo by Mike McElroy |
President Susan Traverso and athletic director Amy Schafer announced Wednesday the hiring of Sam Bauman as football coach at Thiel.
"It's with great enthusiasm that we welcome coach Sam Bauman to the college," Traverso said. "He brings impressive leadership experience to his new role leading Tomcat football and is deeply committed to the success of student-athletes at Thiel."
Bauman inherits a program which did not win a game under its previous coach, Mike Winslow, a 2004 Thiel grad whose Tomcats went 0-20 in his two years. Thiel has not won a game since its Sept. 16 victory at Bethany, a span of 37 consecutive losses.
Bauman was the linebackers coach at Wooster since 2013. He served as the team's defensive coordinator the past seven seasons and was the special teams coordinator in 2013 and 2014.
"I am very excited to be named the next head football coach at Thiel College," Bauman said. "I look forward to getting to know the players better and begin to work with them on building a successful football program here. "
Bauman was part of a new coaching staff at Wooster in 2013 that took a 2-win team in 2012 to seven wins in 2013. The 2013 team ranked fifth in the nation in Division III in turnover margin (+16).
In 2015 and 2021, Bauman's defenses ranked in the top 20 in forced fumbles. In 2019, the team ranked third in the country in red zone defense and 24th in scoring defense.
"We are excited to welcome Sam to Thiel," said Schafer. "His experience, recruiting record and commitment to academic success and player development will benefit the College and the football program."
Bauman began his coaching career in 2010 as the assistant defensive backs coach at the University of Chicago, a position he held for two seasons. He also spent two seasons at Rose-Hulman as the team's linebackers coach. He also served as the head junior varsity coach and video coordinator at Rose-Hulman.
Bauman received a master's in physical education with a concentration in coaching from Indiana State. He earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Beloit.