November 17, 2014

Sulages steps down as head football coach

Lewis & Clark College football coach Chris Sulages has resigned as the Pioneers head coach.

Lewis & Clark College football coach Chris Sulages has resigned as the Pioneers head coach, Director of Physical Education and Athletics Shana Levine announced Wednesday.

“I would like to thank Lewis & Clark College for the opportunity to lead the football program for the last nine years. We did some great things that had never before happened on Palatine Hill. I am proud I will leave this program in much better shape than I received it,” said Sulages.

“Most importantly I would like to thank the football student-athletes that I have had the pleasure to coach and my assistants for their hard work and dedication to the team, program, and myself. In addition, I would also like to thank the alumni and parents who I have been lucky to work with. These groups of people are the most genuine one could wish for, and the strength of Lewis & Clark. I wish the football program, athletics, and the college the best of luck in the future.”

“I want to thank Chris for his years of dedication to our students, the Lewis & Clark football program, the athletics department, and our community. Our student-athletes have benefited from his leadership, and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Levine.

Sulages has been a member of the Pioneers staff since 2003 and served as head coach since 2006. 

Under Sulages, several players have set individual school records. Standouts include quarterback Keith Welch BA ’14, the Pioneers’ all-time leader in total offense, passing yards, complete passes, and touchdown passes. Welch also has the distinction of being the only Pioneer to be named a finalist for the Gagliardi Trophy. Andrew Frisina BA ’14 was the nation’s top receiver in 2013.

With Sulages at the helm, the Pioneers’ best season was 2011 when the team went 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Northwest Conference action, finishing the conference in second place. Following the season, Sulages was selected as the Western Region Division III Coach of the Year by D3football.com. Previously the Pioneers’ best Northwest Conference finish was fifth place.

A national search for Lewis & Clark’s next head football coach will begin immediately.

Pioneer athletics consists of 19 varsity athletic programs that compete in the Northwest Conference as a part of the NCAA Division III. Lewis & Clark College is an independent liberal arts college with just over 2,000 undergraduate students, with a student body from more than 50 countries across six continents as well as most of the United States.

This content originally appeared on the Lewis & Clark Pioneers website on November 12, 2014.