Nov 22, 2013 3 min read

Mount Union College’s success on the football field has filled the trophy cases at the school and spawned a number of former players into the coaching ranks.

Even a couple – wide receivers Cecil Shorts and Pierre Garcon, most recently – have made the NFL as players.

Two former players – Mike Hallett of Heidelberg and Dean Paul of Ohio Northern – returned to their alma mater this year as an opposing head coach and came away with a loss.

Mike Sirianni hopes he is not the third.

Sirianni is the head coach at Washington & Jefferson, which plays defending NCAA Division III champion Mount Union today in a noon kickoff in Alliance, Ohio.

Sirianni is one of three brothers who graduated from Mount Union but has a closer relationship with former head coach Larry Kehres, than his son Vince, who took over for Larry this year.

“I knew who he was,” Sirianni said of Vince Kehres, “but he was closer to my brother Nick because he coached with him. He’s also close with my brother Jay.”

Larry Kehres retired from coaching but remained as athletic director after winning the school’s 11th national title last year.

“We have a great relationship,” said Vince Kehres. “I lived with his brother Jay for three years, and I recruited Nick to come to Mount Union.”

The relationship between the coaches at the two schools has helped sustain an annual scrimmage between the two football programs. Sirianni graduated from Mount Union in 1994 and coached there for two seasons.

He arrived at W&J in 1999 as offensive coordinator and became head coach in 2003. Sirianni said the players don’t care he is a former player and coach for the Purple Raiders.

“That doesn’t matter,” he said. “Their kids want to win national championship No. 12 and our kids want to win this playoff game.”

Vince Kehres might have the hardest job of any Division III coach this year. He was handed the reigns to the football program at Mount Union after his father, Larry, retired as coach but remained as athletic director.

One thing Vince has over his father is winning percentage, 10-0, 1.000 to 332-24-3, .925.

Vince has a ways to go to catch his father in victories and winning national championships, 11-0.

Winning the national title last season was a great way for Larry to end his coaching career.

Having his son take over makes it even sweeter. But what are the ground rules?

“We talk almost every day,” Vince said. “My dad comes to practice and tells me what he sees, and he makes suggestions. He hasn’t been overbearing. He lets me and my assistant coaches coach. Best of all, he never second-guesses me.”

The W&J defense had some rough moments this season, but one of the strong points is getting to the quarterback.

W&J’s defense led the PAC and ranks 34th in Division III with 28 sacks, the most by the Presidents since they had 37 in 2009. Senior Jon Lowery has recorded 7 1/2 of his 15 career sacks this year and ranks 54th nationally. Ten different Presidents have registered a sack.

Washington & Jefferson has won 697 games in its 122 varsity seasons and has a record of 697-382-40. Only Wittenberg (727) and Mount Union (724) have won more games among NCAA Division III schools. Interestingly, the winner of today’s game could face Wittenberg in the second round. Among all NCAA divisions, Michigan leads with 911 victories and W&J is 25th.