Huntingdon’s Rader named head football coach at Maryville

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Huntingdon assistant football coach Mike Rader was announced as the head coach at Maryville College on Friday.

Rader spent eight seasons with the Hawks, joining the program during its second season of competition. As the receivers coach, he was part of 51 victories in 78 games.

"I'm proud of him and I'm excited for him," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "He has done a great job to help us bring this program along and get it to where it is today. I hate to lose him, but being a head coach has been one of his goals. He's earned this opportunity."

Rader's first game will be against Huntingdon at Samford Stadium. The Hawks host Maryville on Sept. 1 at 1 p.m.

Rader was one of three assistants, along with defensive coordinator Steven Hicks and offensive line and strength and conditioning coach Charlie Goodyear, who followed Turk from Troy University to Huntingdon in 2004.

"You always have mixed feelings at a time like this," Huntingdon athletics director Buzz Phillips said. "Mike has been a valuable part of our program for eight years. But the goal of all young coaches is to become a head coach. We're appreciative of the job he has done at Huntingdon and we wish him the best in the future."

Rader worked with a pair of 1,000-yard receivers at Huntingdon in Mark Colson (75 receptions for 1,028 yards in 2006) and Cody Pearcy (51 receptions for 1,078 yards in 2010). In addition to coaching receivers, Rader also served as the Hawks' recruiting coordinator.

"On the field, he's an excellent coach with a lot of energy. He is a coach that gets the maximum effort out of his guys," Turk said. "Off the field, he made sure his guys were doing the things they were supposed to be doing. As a recruiter, he continually brought in quality student-athletes."

Before Huntingdon, Rader spent one season as a graduate assistant at Troy University. Rader was also a graduate assistant at his alma mater, East Tennessee State University. Rader was a three-year starter at ETSU, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees.