OAC Adopts Awards to Honor Mount Union's Larry Kehres and John Carroll's Chris Wenzler

Austintown, Ohio-The OAC Athletics Council adopted awards to honor Mount Union’s Larry Kehres and John Carroll’s Chris Wenzler at its meeting on October 29. The OAC Football Coach of the Year Award will be named in honor of Kehres, who spent 27 years at the helm of the Purple Raiders’ football program. The Wenzler Award will annually recognize one sports information student-assistant.

Kehres built one of the most successful programs in all of college football with 23 OAC Championships, 21 undefeated regular seasons and claiming 11 NCAA Division III National Championships. Kehres closed his coaching career with a 332-24-3 (.929) record and was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

Wenzler, who led the John Carroll Sports Information Department for more than 30 years, passed away in June of 2020. He was named John Carroll’s first Assistant Athletic Director for Communications in 2008 and was elected to the JCU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019. Wenzler was the recipient of the OAC Bill Nichols Media Award in 2018. One of Wenzler's most visible contributions to the JCU Athletics community was his passion and dedication for mentoring and developing his student-assistants.