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Lance Leipold will become the 26th head coach in the history of the University at Buffalo football program, multiple sources are reporting.
Bull Run was the first to report the hiring at 8:00 PM tonight.
Got him. 95% confidence. stay tuned
— Bull Run (@UBBullRun) December 1, 2014
Is Lance Leipold the New UB Head Coach? http://t.co/OcTx4ZMgpY
— Bull Run (@UBBullRun) December 1, 2014
It's unclear when Leipold will take up his position with the Bulls. His 106-6 record at Wisconsin-Whitewater includes (obviously) a current berth in the Division III playoff, including a quarterfinal game this coming weekend. Leipold has won five national championships in six championship appearances at UW-W.
He replaces Interim Coach Alex Wood, who coached UB to a 2-2 record after taking over when Jeff Quinn was fired by UB Athletic Director Danny White seven weeks into the season. Quinn's three and a half year tenure ended with 18 wins against 36 losses. Quinn did get the Bulls to the Idaho Potato Bowl in 2013 but an already slow start to the 2014 season was exacerbated by a bad loss to Eastern Michigan and White pulled the trigger within 48 hours.
Leipold has also coached at Nebraska-Omaha and with former Buffalo Coach Turner Gill at Nebraska. Leipold was part of a UNO staff that turned a 1-10 team into three-time North Central Conference champions during his tenure. While Leipold was on staff the Cornhuskers competed in the national championship game in 2001 and earned bowl bids in 2002 and 2003.
Leipold has thrice been named WIAC Coach of the Year and national coach of the year six time. In 2013 he earned his fifth American Football Coaches Association Division III Coach of the Year. Only Penn State's Joe Paterno has as many, at any level.
The Warhawks have just one current NFL alumnus: quarterback Matt Blanchard, who plays for the Carolina Panthers.
Welcome to Buffalo, Lance!