Two former Millikin University football players turned coaches are leading their programs into NCAA FBS bowl games.
In his third season as head coach at Army, 1989 Millikin graduate Jeff Monken led his team to an upset win over Navy 21-17. It was Army's first win in the historic rivalry in 14 years. With a 7-5 record, Monken will lead Army to its first bowl game since 2010 in the Zaxby's Heart of Dallas Bowl versus North Texas on Dec. 27.
Monken's turnaround of the Army football program comes after he spent four seasons as the head coach at Georgia Southern amassing a 38-16 record.
Former Big Blue player and assistant coach Chuck Martin '90 is turning around the football program at Miami of Ohio. Martin led the Redhawks to a 6-6 record in 2016 and a berth in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Dec. 26 against Mississippi State.
In Martin's first year, Miami of Ohio snapped its 21-game losing streak and the Redhawks posted three wins last year.
Martin won two NCAA Division II National Championships as the head coach at Grand Valley State before moving to the NCAA Division I ranks serving as an assistant coach at Notre Dame.
Jeff Monken began his coaching career as a graduate assistant football coach at the University of Hawaii during the 1989-90 season. After earning his master's degree in higher educational administration there in 1991, Monken served as a graduate assistant wide receivers coach at Arizona State University for one season and assistant coach for the wide receivers and tight ends and recruiting coordinator at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1992-94.
After a brief stint coaching at Morton High School in Berwyn, Ill., and at Concordia University in River Forest, Ill., Monken coached slotbacks and punters at Georgia Southern from 1997-2001. In 2002, Monken became slotbacks coach for the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Monken was slotbacks coach and special teams coordinator for Georgia Tech from 2008-10.
He returned to Georgia Southern in 2010 as head football coach. His 31 victories in three seasons rank first in the Southern Conference and second nationally. He was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2011. Under his direction, Georgia Southern earned national semifinal appearances in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Jeff Monken was inducted into the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013.
While attending Millikin, Chuck Martin was an All-American safety and was selected as a GTE Academic All-American. He doubled as an All-American place kicker, received Academic All-District honors for the Millikin baseball team and was inducted into the Millikin Hall of Fame in 2008.
He graduated in 1990 with a degree in accounting and earned his master's degree in physical education from Mankato State University in 1993.
Prior to joining Miami, Martin spent four seasons at Notre Dame, serving as the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2012-13) and defensive backs/recruiting coordinator (2010-11). Martin was head coach and offensive coordinator for Grand Valley State University (GVSU) from 2004-2009 and compiled a 74-7 (.914) record.
Martin served as the defensive backs and outside linebackers coach at GVSU from 2000-02. Prior to arriving in Allendale, Mich., Martin spent time at Eastern Michigan (1998-1999, linebackers), Millikin University (1996-97, defensive coordinator/defensive backs), Wittenberg University (1994-95, linebackers) and Mankato State University (1992-93, graduate assistant/linebackers).