Andy Frye

BIOGRAPHY

Andy Frye, the all-time winningest coach in Centre history, has been the head football coach of the Colonels since the 1998 season. Since that time Centre has become one of the most respected football programs in all of Division III.

Frye owns a 160-77 career record, becoming Centre’s all-time leader in coaching victories with a 34-7 triumph over Defiance on September 13, 2014. With the win, Frye surpassed his predecessor and 2002 Centre Hall of Fame inductee Joe McDaniel.

Over the last six-plus seasons, Frye’s program has put together a stellar record, including the school’s first Southern Athletic Association title and 16th conference championship overall in 2014, and another in 2018. Centre finished with a 10-1 ledger during that historic ’14 campaign, tying a school record for most victories in a season. The Colonels achieved a perfect 10-0 mark in the regular season, their first undefeated regular season since the 1955 campaign, and qualified for the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the second time under Frye.

The 2018 squad matched that mark with a 10-2 overall record, reaching the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the third time in his tenure. The Colonels demolished 14th-ranked Washington & Jefferson, 54-13, in the opening-round game at Farris Stadium to reach the "Sweet 16." He mentored two All-Americans in Cal Lewellyn and Drew Yeager, as well as the SAA Offensive Player of the Year, Tanner Young.

Lewellyn graduated in 2020 as one of the most decorated Colonels to pass through the storied program, culminating in the 2019-2020 SAA Man of the Year award - the league's highest individual honor.

The Colonels also earned an at-large bid to the NCAA postseason under Frye in 2011, defeating Hampden-Sydney by a score of 51-41 in the first round, before falling to perennial power and eventual NCAA runner-up Mount Union in the second round. Centre finished with a 9-2 record that season, with its only other loss coming at the hands of another NCAA qualifier in Trinity (Texas). In 2003, the Colonels captured the SCAC crown, earning the 15th conference championship in school history.

Since taking over in 1998, Frye has coached nine All-Americans, 95 first-team all-conference selections and 14 conference player of the year honorees. This includes former Buffalo Bills kickoff specialist and 2013 Centre graduate Jordan Gay. During his career at Centre, Gay earned All-American honors as a senior in 2012 and was a three-time Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, first in the SCAC in 2010 and in the SAA in 2011 and ’12.    

Under Frye, the Colonels have established a program rich in tradition and success. A strong alumni base and community support has helped the Colonels challenge for conference titles on a consistent basis over the past several years. Coach Frye is passionate about developing a program that stands for integrity and social development of the young men in his charge.

Frye takes as much pride in developing the morale of his team as he does the physical abilities. “When all things are equal, the team with the best morale will most times win the battle,” Frye said.

A native of Westerville, Ohio, he served as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Centre prior to being named head coach in 1998. Frye came to Centre in 1989 from his alma mater Muskingum College.

While at Muskingum, he served as the defensive coordinator and head wrestling coach. Frye was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1987. Frye also coached football for two years at Ohio University and Defiance College.

Frye’s goal is to continue building Centre football to national prominence: “I want our program to reflect those values and virtues necessary in sustaining a successful program. Excellence is a process; here at Centre it is pursued with great force and passion. We are seeking student-athletes who wish to meet this challenge. The student-athletes who participate in our program are highly motivated students who want to excel at a challenging institution as well as compete for a football program that has had a rich tradition of success.

Our program’s goals for players are twofold: one, develop their athletic skills and talents to their fullest; and two, encourage and maximize their character and abilities as men. Our program’s team goal is to win the Southern Athletic Association and secure a bid to the NCAA National Championship.

We offer a top-50 national liberal arts institution, a rich football tradition, a program that is aggressively establishing itself as a premier small college football team, and the opportunity to play in seven different states."