Camp Co-Director Norm Eash

Co-Director: In 38 seasons (1987-2024) as Illinois Wesleyan University head football coach, Norm Eash  built the Titans into one of the country's highly-regarded and respected NCAA Division III programs. He retired from coaching following the 2024 season, compiling a career record of 233-133-1 (.636).

 In the nearly four decades, he coached nine College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin championship teams (1992, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2009, 2017, 2018); six NCAA Division III playoff teams (1992, 1996, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2017); 12 first team Division III All-Americans (including defensive lineman Mike Murphy in 2020); nine Academic All-Americans; and one winner of the Gagliardi Trophy honoring the nation's top Division III player (Lon Erickson in 1996).

Eash's career mark at his alma mater is 233-133-1 (.636). The "dean" of league coaches, Eash has been CCIW "Coach of the Year" six times (2017, 2009, 2007, 2001, 1996 and 1992). His career CCIW mark is 174-106-1 (.621), surpassing wins of his own college coach Don Larson for most all-time victories in the league. Larson was 142-89-6 in 33 years from 1954-86.

On October 12, 2013, the Titans downed North Park 52-21 and the win was Eash’s 169th career victory, the most in IWU history and besting the mark of 168 set by Larson, from 1954-86. An article about Eash eclipsing the Larson mark appeared in the Winter 2013-14 Illinois Wesleyan Alumni Magazine and may be read here.

Eash's record in NCAA Division III play is 3-6. The 2017 team was 9-2 and lost to Case Western Reserve in the first round of the NCAA playoffs. The nine victories has only happened six other times in Illinois Wesleyan football history.

The 2013 team was 9-2 and lost at home in the first round to Wartburg while the 2010 team was also 9-2 and lost a first round NCAA home game in three overtimes to Monmouth.

The 2009 Titans were 10-2 overall, earned a share of the CCIW championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs before losing to eventual national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater.

The Illinois Wesleyan 1996 and 1992 teams were both 10-1, captured CCIW outright championships, and both advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Division III playoffs, losing each time to Mount Union (1996 champions).

Eash's 1994, 2000, 2001, 2007, 2017 and 2018 teams shared the CCIW title.

Prior to 1992, only three other IWU teams (1965, 1951, and 1888) had gone through the regular season with a perfect record and the 1992 team was the first Titan team to claim an outright, undefeated CCIW championship since 1965.

In the decade of the 1990s, Eash's teams were 72-21-1 (.771) and were consistently rated in national publications among the top Division III teams.

In 2011, Eash was elected as an “honorary member” of the American Football Coaches Association for his “devotion, dedication and distinguished service to the game of football.”

A native of Chenoa, Ill., Eash captained his high school football and basketball teams and was a Little All-State football selection in 1970. A 1975 IWU graduate, Eash was a starting defensive lineman as a sophomore and a starting offensive tackle his last two seasons, playing on an 8-1 team in 1974 that tied for the CCIW title. Eash taught physical education and was an assistant coach in football, basketball, and track at Streator High School from 1975 to 1982, then was head football coach and athletic director at Dwight High School. His Dwight teams were 34-15, qualified for the Illinois High School playoffs three times, and reached the Class 2A quarterfinals in 1983, when Eash was Kankakee Area Coach of the Year.

Eash and his wife, Cheryl, have one son (Kyle) and four daughters (Kendra, Kelsey, Kaylyn and Karley).

In addition to his duties as football coach, Eash was a senior associate athletic director and chair of the physical education department at Illinois Wesleyan, and led Titan teams to victories in international exhibition games in Germany (1996), Italy (2001), France (2005), Austria (2009), Finland (2013) and Japan (2017). His IWU team also won a home international game against Monterrey Tech-Mexico in September 2016.