McFarland Steps Down as SFA Head Coach
12/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 1, 2006
NACOGDOCHES - Stephen F. Austin Lumberjack head football coach Robert McFarland has resigned effective Monday, Dec. 4, announced SFA Director of Athletics Robert Hill Friday afternoon. McFarland will join the staff of former SFA assistant coach, and new Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik at Iowa State.
"I'm happy for Coach McFarland because he has earned this opportunity," said Hill. "But at the same time I'm sad for our program and this university. He, and his staff, have put in a lot of hard work to get this program headed in the right direction. I believe that there are great years ahead for SFA football and it is due in large part to the effort of McFarland and his staff. We wish McFarland, and his family, all the best in the future. They will always be a part of the SFA athletic family."
McFarland became the Lumberjacks' 17th head coach in December, 2004. He was given the reigns to rebuild the SFA program and put it back in the national spotlight. McFarland's troops went 9-13 (.409) during his two seasons on campus.
After a 2005 campaign that saw SFA go 5-6 (.455) and win only one conference game, the Lumberjacks rebounded in 2006 to finish in a two-way tie for second in the conference, winning twice as many league games than in the previous two seasons. The 'Jacks' two league losses, one of which was to SLC champion McNeese State, were by a total of seven points. Despite the fact the 'Jacks' 2006 depth chart consisted of 28 true freshman, redshirt freshman and sophomores, SFA still led the league in scoring defense, rush defense and total defense, as well as total offense during conference play.
In only two seasons on campus, McFarland has coached 26 All-Southland Conference athletes, including four first-team selections, two All-Americans and two all-region selections. In 2005, linebacker Ryan Luedecke earned Don Hansen's Football Gazette NCAA Division I-AA Honorable Mention All-America honors and first-team All-Southwest Region honors after leading the league in tackles. Safety Keldrick Holman earned first-team all-region and All-America honors by Don Hansen's Football Gazette, and earned second-team All-America recognition from the Sports Network.
McFarland served as an assistant coach at SFA from 1991 through the 1999 season. McFarland and Chizik both served as SFA assistants for six of those seasons. During that time the Lumberjacks posted a 43-24-2 (.638) overall record and advanced to the 1993 and 1995 NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.
SFA will immediately begin a national search to replace McFarland.
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