GENEVA, N.Y.—Hobart College Head Football Coach Mike Cragg has announced that after 32 years coaching at Hobart, he will transition into the Office of Advancement as the Senior Director of Development for Athletics, a role that combines Cragg's background with his dedication to providing opportunities for students to succeed as scholars and athletes.
Cragg's teams have enjoyed great success on the gridiron and in the classroom. He holds the Hobart football career coaching records for wins (157) and winning percentage (.717). Academically, the Statesmen have earned 163 conference all-academic awards since the start of the 2001 season, including a program record 18 this past fall, while seven Hobart players have been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America teams—including offensive lineman Brian Monaco '10 who became the first two-time first team Academic All-American in Hobart history.
"My years as a coach at Hobart have been a truly rewarding experience and my decision to leave coaching was made after a great deal of thought," Cragg says. "I am honored and excited to take on this new role serving the Colleges. Building championship winning teams that are routinely ranked among the best in the nation is only possible through the diligence and dedication of parents, alumni, alumnae, scholar-athletes and coaches. That teamwork made my coaching job more gratifying than I would have imagined, and I will continue to rely on that support in advancement."
As the Senior Director of Development for Athletics, Cragg will continue to build on the relationships he established as a coach. "As we enter a campaign, Mike's expertise and enthusiasm for the Colleges will be extremely helpful," says Vice President for Advancement Bob O'Connor. "I look forward to Mike joining my team as we continue to grow our fundraising efforts."
In 23 seasons at the helm of the football program, Cragg compiled a 157-62 overall record. Among active Division III coaches, he ranks 20th in career wins.
Cragg's Statesmen were 90-28 in Liberty League play, winning at least a share of 11 conference titles. The only coach to ever lead Hobart in the postseason, Cragg's teams earned 10 NCAA playoff bids, including quarterfinal appearances in 2012 and 2014, and won the 2003 ECAC North Atlantic Bowl.
Cragg has mentored 326 all-conference selections, including 24 players of the year (offensive, defensive, or special teams) and seven rookies of the year. He has also coached dozens of All-Americans, including consensus All-Americans Dave Russell '98, Alex Bell '05, Tyre Coleman '15 and Ali Marpet '15. Several Statesmen have gone on to play football professionally, most notably Marpet, who was the 61st overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and is a three-year starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Cragg's success has been rewarded with 10 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year awards, most recently in 2016, and two AFCA Regional Coach of the Year awards. In 2010, he was inducted into the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame.
"I'm grateful for Mike's leadership and mentorship of generations of Hobart men," HWS Vice President for Campus Life Robb Flowers says. "I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role."
One of the veteran members of the Hobart coaching staff, Cragg joined the staff as an assistant football coach in 1986. He also served as the head coach of the tennis team for three seasons, compiling an overall record of 36-10 and three conference titles from 1992-93 to 1995-96.
Cragg came to Hobart after serving as the head coach of the varsity football program at Corry (Pa.) High School. He led the Beavers to a third-place finish in the Erie County League in his first year, a first-ever appearance in the District X Playoffs in 1986, and was named Coach of the Year.
A 1983 graduate of Slippery Rock University with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education, Cragg was a two-year letter winner for the Rock at free safety and linebacker. He owns a share of the school's single game interception record (3 vs. Edinboro, 1980).
Cragg and his wife, Holley, have two children, Michael, a defensive assistant coach for the Statesmen, and Kristen Alexandria '13.