With success comes change. With change comes opportunity.
Concord's Football coaching staff has experienced all three, over only a few months.
The Mountain Lions' 6-5 record last fall was one of college football's top turnarounds, “returning the roar” to the Concord program.
However, that departure opened the door for Chris Bowers to succeed Hill as defensive coordinator, and for Concord to bring in two new coaches with long resumes in the WVIAC.
William King has joined the Mountain Lions' staff as defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. Meanwhile, Concord Athletic Hall of Fame member Tracy Gravely returns to his alma mater to coach CU's cornerbacks, and linebackers coach Paul Price has also earned the title of Assistant Head Coach/Defense.
“I'm excited for the opportunity,” Bower said. “Coach Kellar had a group of qualified candidates to choose from – one of which (King), we're lucky enough to bring in here and join our staff. I'm looking forward to helping us win championships.
“We'll make some changes, but we'll keep some things too. We're going to get more aggressive, in how we run our schemes and in our mental approach. There are a lot of good things that can happen when you bring pressure on the other team.”
King comes to Concord after three seasons as defensive coordinator at WVIAC foe West Virginia State. Before his time in Institute, King spent four seasons as linebackers coach at Morgan State in Baltimore, MD. King has also coached at Elon College (NC), Tusculum College (TN) and FCS power James Madison (VA).
A native of Charleston and a graduate of Capital HS, King went on to an outstanding playing career at Marshall University. In 1993 he was a consensus All-American in 1993 and the Thundering Herd's Defensive Player of the Year. He earned 1st Team All-Southern Conference honors in 1992 and '93.
“Concord, to me, is a program that's on the rise,” King said. “The coaches here have a vision of where they want the program to go, and how to win championships. The culture here has changed – the players are working hard, and they know what to do to raise up this program.”
West Virginia State was one of the WVIAC's defenses with King as its coordinator. In 2007, the Yellow Jackets allowed the fewest first downs (180) and were second in pass defense efficiency (109.2).
2008 was even better. WVSU topped the conference in pass defense (147.2 ypg) and was third in total defense (319.7). The Jackets were second in 1st down allowed (177), pass efficiency defense (107.3) and sacks (30).
Last year's team led the WVIAC in pass defense (177.4 ypg).
Under King's tutelage, Elisha Merchant led the WVIAC in sacks (10) and Brian Truesdale in passes defended (19) in 2007. In 2009, Andrew Eggleton and Valentine Bon were first and second in tackles, with 109 and 102, respectively.
“The formula is pretty simple – if we play hard and play smart and play together, we'll be successful,” said King.
King and his wife, Paula, a McDowell County native, reside in Princeton.
Gravely returns to a Concord program for which he excelled as a player. The native of Kimball, WV was the WVIAC's Defensive Player of the Year in 1989 and went on to play in the Canadian Football League for more than a decade.
Gravely helped the Baltimore Stallions win the Grey Cup in 1995 and followed the team when it moved to Montreal to become the Alouettes the following year.
He was a CFL All-Star in 1995 and '96, and won the James P. McCaffrey Trophy as the East's top defensive player. Gravely earned a spot on the Alouettes' “All-Decade Team” in 2005.
"With William, Tracy and Paul, our defensive staff has a tremendous amount of experience in the WVIAC,” said Concord head coach Mike Kellar. “We also have a graduate assistant (Drew Toth) who won a West Virginia state high school football championship as a defensive coordinator. We're fortunate to have a defensive staff with the experience, knowledge and work ethic that it takes to compete at the highest level."
