Andy Waddle was named the 19th head coach of the Valparaiso University football program on Dec. 9, 2024.
A two-time Ohio Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Waddle possesses over two decades of collegiate coaching experience including the last 12 years as the head coach at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. The Pioneers started the 2024 season 8-0, the first 8-0 start in program history. The program enjoyed a 13-game winning streak that spanned the end of the 2023 season and start of the 2024 campaign, tied for the longest in program history and the program’s longest since 1920. The 13-game winning streak was at the time tied with Army for the second longest active winning streak in all of NCAA college football, behind only Division-III SUNY-Cortland’s 20-game streak.
Waddle guided the squad to a combined 16-5 record and 14-2 mark in the NCAA Division-III Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) over the last two seasons. He successfully engineered a turnaround of the Marietta program, leading the team to a record of .500 or better in seven of the last eight years after the Pioneers had previously experienced nine consecutive losing seasons.
When Waddle took over as the head coach at Marietta prior to the 2013 season, he inherited a program that had won three or fewer games in each of the previous six years and was coming off an 0-10 season. Before Waddle’s eight-year run of sustained success that began in 2017, Marietta had a winning record just twice in a 20-year span. The program enjoyed as many winning seasons in Waddle’s final eight years as head coach as it had experienced in the previous 30 years combined.
The 2024 season culminated with Marietta’s second-ever postseason appearance and first since 1973 as the Pioneers competed in the Extra Points Bowl, hosted at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. After the 8-0 start, Marietta was ranked 22nd nationally by D3Football.com and 23rd by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). The Pioneers finished the 2024 campaign ranked among national leaders in the following categories – third-down conversion percentage defense (first, .250), redzone offense (eighth, .912), total defense (10th, 236.1), sacks per game (3.18, 16th), total offense (453.9, 19th), scoring offense (40.5, 21st) and scoring defense (14.9, 23rd).
Marietta placed 16 players on the All-OAC team in 2024 and had 101 total all-league selections during Waddle’s tenure. Following the 2023 campaign, Waddle was named the OAC Coach of the Year after leading Marietta to its highest win total since 1995. Waddle earned his first OAC Coach of the Year award in 2017 after leading the Pioneers to a 6-4 mark, the team’s first winning season in 11 years. During his time at Marietta, Waddle instructed 19 all-region performers, 20 All-Americans and three Academic All-Americans.
Prior to his dozen years leading the Marietta program, Waddle spent eight seasons at Wittenberg University, where he joined the staff in 2005 as the defensive secondary coach and was promoted to defensive coordinator a year later. Wittenberg won four North Coast Athletic Conference championships and made four NCAA playoff appearances in the seven seasons with Waddle running the defense. His 2009 defensive unit led all of the NCAA in total defense (189.9) and scoring defense (8.85) and the program tied a school record with 12 wins.
Waddle began his coaching career in 2003 at Mansfield University (Pa.) as the defensive backs coach. The NCAA Division-II Mountaineers went 8-3, a six-game improvement over the previous season, and recorded the team’s first winning season in nearly 30 years. In 2004, Waddle served as the secondary coach at D-III Maryville College (Tenn.), where he helped the program win as many games as it had in the previous three seasons combined.
An all-conference defensive back, Waddle played for two North Coast Athletic Conference championship teams and made three NCAA playoff appearances at Wittenberg. He spent two seasons at the University of Findlay prior to transferring to Wittenberg. He was redshirted during the Oilers’ 1997 NAIA national championship season and was a starter the following year.
Waddle earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Wittenberg in 2003 and completed his master’s in executive leadership from Liberty University in 2014. A native of Enon, Ohio, Waddle and his wife Kerry Jean have a daughter, Hopelyn, and a son, Spencer. The Waddles are involved with the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry and have raised nearly $20,000 while registering over 2,000 potential bone marrow donors.
What They’re Saying About Coach Waddle
Greg Harbaugh, co-Offensive Coordinator, University of Minnesota: “Andy hired me on his first staff at Marietta. It was his first opportunity at being a head coach and from the day I met him, he was relentless in his pursuit to not only win football games, but to lead young men. The growth his program showed over the years was a direct reflection of his work ethic and what he holds his program’s standards to.”
Joe Fincham, Former Wittenberg University Head Coach, 1996-2021: “I’ve known Andy since his senior year of high school. No one embodies the mantra ‘Faith, Family and Football’ more than Andy Waddle. He will build an incredible culture within the Valpo Football program.”
Larry Kehres, Former University of Mount Union Head Coach, 1986-2012, Class of 2017 College Football Hall of Fame: “Andy built Marietta into a quality program from the ground floor up. His team plays excellent defense, has balance on offense and is rock solid on special teams.”
Andy Talley, Former Villanova University Head Coach, 1985-2016, 2009 National Champion, Class of 2020 College Football Hall of Fame: “Andy Waddle is a great selection as the head football coach for Valparaiso. He will bring success to the football program immediately. His players will excel not only on the football field, but more importantly in the classroom.”
John Hauser, Defensive Coordinator, Ohio University: "Andy Waddle proved his plan and vision works, taking a team to the top 25 for the first time in school history. He is a tireless worker and will develop players on and off the field. Valparaiso University is getting a great football coach and an even better husband and father to develop their football players."
Andy Waddle Timeline
Valpo Head Coach – Present
Marietta College Head Coach – 2013-2024
Wittenberg University Defensive Coordinator – 2006-2012
Wittenberg University Secondary Coach – 2005
Maryville College Defensive Secondary Coach – 2004
Mansfield University Defensive Backs Coach – 2003
