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| Joe Adam was at Elmhurst for
seven seasons, one of them as head coach. Elmhurst athletics photo |
ELMHURST, Ill. - Elmhurst football coach Joe Adam has announced his resignation to accept an assistant coaching job at Syracuse.
Adam becomes the second consecutive Elmhurst head coach to leave for Syracuse after Tim Lester departed following the Bluejays' 2012 CCIW championship season. Both Adam and Lester previously worked with Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer at Western Michigan.
Adam led Elmhurst to a 4-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the CCIW in his only season as the Bluejays' head coach. Prior to taking over the reins of the Bluejays, Adam spent six seasons on the Bluejays' coaching staff, including five seasons as the team's defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach. Elmhurst posted a 43-29 record during Adam's tenure with the squad and Adam's defenses produced 17 all-conference honorees and one All-American in Randy Wright. The 2012 squad turned in the best season in school history, winning a share of the CCIW title for the first time since 1980, earning its first-ever trip to the NCAA playoffs and posting a school record for wins (10-2 record). The Bluejays advanced to the second round of the playoffs, earning the college's first postseason victory by defeating Coe. The Bluejays finished the 2012 season with a pair of top-10 national rankings from D3football.com and the American Football Coaches Association.
"I'm extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish at Elmhurst," said Adam. "We achieved a vision of winning a CCIW Championship that culminated in a great playoff run but we also built a program that has almost 70 percent of the team owning a GPA of over 3.0. Academics have always been at the forefront of the Elmhurst vision. The future of Elmhurst football is very bright and there is a collection of high achievers that make up the football program. They have high goals and will be back atop the CCIW very quickly."
Prior to joining the Bluejays' coaching staff in 2007, Adam spent a year at Western Michigan University as a graduate assistant under the direction of Shafer. Adam helped Western Michigan to a 7-4 record and their first bowl game in almost 20 years. Adam also spent three seasons coaching at Grand Valley State University where he was a part of two NCAA Division II championship teams in 2003 and 2005. He began his coaching career at Harper Community College where he served as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. During his five years at Harper, the squad made appearances in four junior college bowl games.
"I'd like to thank Joe Adam for his dedication to the Elmhurst football team for the past seven years," said Elmhurst athletic director Paul Krohn. "Joe played in integral part of building our program into a CCIW Champion and an NCAA playoff team in 2012. We hate to see him depart, but this is a tremendous opportunity for Joe and his family. I look forward to working with the college's leadership to find a successor who will build off our recent success and continue to lead our program to new heights."
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.