Tony Jennison has been named the Macalester College head football coach, the St. Paul, Minnesota, college announced today. Defensive coordinator for the Scots the last two seasons, Jennison is the 28th head coach in the 122-year history of the Macalester football program.
The 35-year-old Jennison replaces Glenn Caruso, who resigned last week after two years in charge of the program to become the head football coach at nearby University of St. Thomas.
“It has been my professional vision to be a D-III head football coach at an institution where the focus will be on helping young men develop into better people, students, and athletes,” Jennison said.
“The fact that President (Brian) Rosenberg and Athletic Director Travis Feezell have a common goal to make the athletic experience for our student-athletes as meaningful as the academic experience speaks volumes about the direction of the Mac football program and the entire athletic department.
Macalester director of athletics Travis Feezell said Jennison brings outstanding credentials to his new position.
“I have observed Tony over the last two years and it is clear that he is an integral part of our success,” said Feezell. “He has been a wonderful coach and recruiter during this time and without question had the support and respect of current players.
“It was evident to me that we had a fantastic candidate on campus. I am thrilled that he is becoming our head coach.”
Jennison guided the progress of Macalester’s defensive unit, which has made outstanding strides under his leadership. The Scots improved their defensive performance in nearly every statistical category in each of the past two seasons. In 2007, Jennison’s Macalester defense forced 29 turnovers in nine games, including 21 interceptions, as the Scots finished with a 4-5 record.
Prior to coming to Macalester, Coach Jennison spent three years as the defensive coordinator at Marietta College in Ohio, where he orchestrated a defense which led the Pioneers to their first winning season in nearly ten years. Jennison also served as a defensive assistant and secondary coach between 1998 and 2002 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he coached the special teams as well, helping UW-EC to two conference championships and the best season in school history.
Jennison played defensive back for Wisconsin-La Crosse, where he was part of a team that won four conference championships and two national championships (1992 and 1995). Jennison graduated from UW-La Crosse in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education. He then received his Master's degree in Special Education from UW-Eau Claire in 2000.
Coach Jennison and his wife, Anna, have a four-year-old son, Michael, and two-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.