(LEBANON, Ill., Oct. 22)—McKendree University head football coach Carl Poelker, the all-time wins leader for the Bearcats who helped revive the program in the mid-1990s, announced on Monday that he will retire from his position effective at the end of the season.
 
Poelker notified University officials late last week of his decision. He also met with the entire Bearcat football team on Monday to deliver the news.
 
“It's time,” said Poelker, who is in his 17^th year at the helm of the McKendree football program. “There were a lot of factors that led to this decision. When I looked at all of them, I knew this was the right time to step away. I felt it would have been very selfish of me to my family, to our coaching staff and – most importantly – to our student-athletes – to continue coaching. I still love coaching. If I could just go out from 4 to 6 p.m. every day and work with the players, helping them get better, and see those results every Saturday, I'd probably still continue. But there's a lot more to this job than that, and that's why it's time to step away.”
 
Back in 1995, University officials announced that McKendree would field a football team in time for the 1996 season. Upon the recommendation of many individuals, McKendree President Dr. James Dennis hired Poelker, who had just concluded a successful 14-year run as the head coach at Millkin University. Poelker was charged with building a football program from scratch at an institution that had not played a down of football since 1951.
 
“Carl's retirement marks a significant loss for our institution,” said Dr. Dennis. “He has made extraordinary contributions not only to the McKendree football program, but to the entire University. He has been exemplary as a teacher, leader and University ambassador. More than having extremely successful football teams, Carl has developed young men who are making outstanding contributions to our society as doctors, lawyers, educators, law enforcement experts, in the business arena and as coaches in their own right. This is a true testament to his success at McKendree.”
 
      Under Poelker's leadership, the McKendree football program has become a model of consistency both on and off the field. Poelker has led the Bearcats to 116 victories, averaging better than seven wins per season since McKendree returned to the gridiron in 1996. During the Bearcats' playing days as members of the Mid-States Football Association-Midwest League, McKendree captured seven conference championships and made nine appearances in the NAIA Football Championship Series. That includes a run of five consecutive post-season appearances from 2001 through 2005.
 
“Dr. Dennis has supported us totally – as he does with all the athletic programs here at McKendree,” said Poelker. “When we first sat down to talk about taking this job, I could tell right away that he was an “old-school” administrator in the fact that his word meant something. His handshake was also his word. But he's also a businessman who knows what it takes to get the job done. When I interviewed, he had a vision for this school, and was building a great team of administrators, faculty and staff. I wanted to be a part of that, and I'm so glad that I made that decision.”
 
Poelker also credits McKendree men's basketball coach Harry Statham – who was the athletic director at the time of his hiring in 1995 – with being a big influence on Poelker's decision to come to McKendree.
 
“Harry Statham is one of the most amazing individuals I have ever met,” said Poelker. “He has a boundless energy, and really loves this school. I could tell that from the time I met him. To have an AD that supports your vision, and is a joy to work for, that's rare. But I was very fortunate to work for him, and continue to work side by side with him, through all these years.”
 
In 1997, Poelker led an upstart McKendree program to an 8-2 overall record and the Bearcats' first berth in the NAIA playoffs. For his efforts, Poelker was named the Schutt Sports-NAIA Coach of the Year. Five years later in 2002, Poelker was selected as the NAIA Football Coach of the Year. He was twice named as the MSFA Midwest League Coach of the Year – first in 1999 and again in 2002.
 
The 2002 McKendree football team may go down as the most memorable squad in the school's history. Poelker coached the Bearcats to an 11-2 overall record and helped lead the team to the semifinal round of the NAIA playoffs. McKendree won its first nine games of the season, then posted nail-biting post-season victories over MidAmerica Nazarene University and Northwestern Oklahoma State University on its national semifinal run.
 
In the second game of the 2002 season, McKendree went on the road and upset the NAIA's No. 1-ranked team, Georgetown College, by a 17-14 score on a last-second field goal by Stephen Webb. That marked the Bearcats' first – and to this point, only – win over a top-ranked team in a national poll.
 
In November 2010, Poelker earned his 200^th victory as a collegiate head coach when McKendree rolled to a 38-14 win at McPherson College in the opening round of the NAIA Football Championship Series. In addition to being the all-time wins leader at McKendree, Poelker still holds Millikin's top slot for coaching wins. Poelker earned 88 wins during his time with the Big Blue from 1982-95. In 31 years as a collegiate head coach, Poelker has amassed 204 victories.
 
In the classroom, Poelker has coached 25 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, as well as 72 Academic All-Conference honorees. The Bearcat football program also produced the first College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) Academic All-American in McKendree history when Allen Walter received the honor in 2000.
 
“It is impossible to measure what Carl Poelker has done for McKendree University since he arrived here in 1995,” said McKendree athletic director Chuck Brueggemann. “His contributions go well beyond the wins and losses on the football field. Scores of student-athletes, our campus community and our fans have witnessed his leadership abilities, his knowledge and his compassion over the years. We certainly thank Carl for all he has meant to our University, and wish him well as he prepares to enter this new phase in his life.”
 
Most recently, Poelker has been instrumental in guiding the Bearcats in their transition towards NCAA Division II membership as well as their inaugural season of play in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2012. The Bearcats earned their first GLVC victory back on Sept. 29 with a 41-17 win at Kentucky Wesleyan College, and followed that a week later with a 35-20 Homecoming victory at Leemon Field over William Jewell College.
 
School officials have announced that a national search to find Poelker's replacement will begin immediately.