From his childhood days growing up on Long Island, New York, to his current position as director of athletics at Coastal Carolina University, Warren Koegel has always been recognized as a leader.

As a first baseman on his Little League baseball team, where he picked up the nickname “Moose,” Koegel was a key performer on a squad that just missed advancing to the Little League World Series. He was given his nickname due to the fact he played the same position and wore the same number (14) as “Moose” Skowron of the New York Yankees.

“I kind of grew into the name,” joked Koegel, who stands 6-foot-4.

His physical stature helped him develop into a talented three-sport standout at Seaford High School in Seaford, N.Y., where he lettered in basketball, baseball and football. He excelled in football while playing the center position. As a senior in 1967, he was the Silver Anniversary winner of the prestigious Thorpe Award, given to the best high school football player from Long Island. He received numerous scholarship offers to play football at the next level from such schools as Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Penn State.

“I was very lucky in high school,” says Koegel. “I came from a good school and received a good education. My older brother, Pete, had signed a professional baseball contract two years before, which drew attention to me and my abilities as an athlete. The top two schools I considered were Penn State and the University of North Carolina. I liked both schools but in the end I chose Penn State because it was closer to my home. It gave my family a chance to see me play and for me to get home more often. I really wanted to play both baseball and football in college but never did. Coach (Joe) Paterno asked that I not play baseball as a freshman. He said I could play after my freshman year. But during my sophomore year, I became a starter on the football team and decided that football was it for me.”

As it turns out, it was an excellent decision. Koegel went on to become the starting center his final three years at Penn State, where he graduated in 1971. As a sophomore and junior, he helped Paterno’s Nittany Lions finish 11-0 in 1968 and 1969, including two Orange Bowl titles. As a senior, he was named team co-captain along with linebacker Jack Ham and went on to earn third-team All-American honors. Koegel, who earned Penn State’s Dedicated Player and Outstanding Senior Awards, was selected to play in the Hula Bowl and East-West Shrine Game.

Koegel credits much of his success to his experience at Penn State.

“Coach Paterno is a wonderful person. He is a great disciplinarian and great teacher. He really cares about the student-athlete and the game of football. He preached to all of us, as did his assistants, that he wanted us to graduate. He wanted us to go to class and do all the little things the right way. If there was a problem he wanted to know about it. He didn’t want you to hide it or run away from it. You faced it. To this day, I still think about times on the practice field at Penn State and some of the lessons we learned. We were a close-knit football team. We went through some tough times and we worked hard.”

The hard work payed off for Koegel, who went on to a five-year career in the NFL. Selected in the third round of the 1971 NFL Draft by Coach John Madden and the Oakland Raiders, he spent his first NFL year serving as a reserve offensive lineman, backing up the likes of All-Pros Jim Otto, Gene Upshaw, Art Shell, Bob Brown and Ron Mix. During his second season, after failed attempts at a trade, the Raiders placed Koegel on waivers, where he was picked up by the St. Louis Cardinals.
“I was with the Cardinals long enough to grab a cup of coffee and learn the playbook,” said Koegel, who was then traded to the New York Jets after just seven games with the Cardinals.

With the Jets, Koegel worked his way into the starting lineup as the center for quarterback Joe Namath. Shortly thereafter, in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium, Koegel would see his career in the NFL come to an end.

“It was right before halftime and we were in our two-minute offense,” recalls Koegel. “We were ahead at the time and actually playing pretty well. I was in a pass protection stance, there was a defensive stunt and all of a sudden, three bodies fell on my left knee all at the same time.”

That play resulted in severely torn ligaments which required major surgery, effectively ending his NFL career.

“I had a great doctor,” says Koegel. “Dr. Jim Nichols did the operation. He was known for the outstanding work he did on Namath when he had his knee problems. I have been very fortunate because I haven’t had any trouble with my knee since.”

In 1977 Koegel began a 20-year collegiate football coaching career. He held assistant coaching and administrative positions at the University of Wyoming, Rutgers University and the University of Connecticut.

Koegel began his career in athletic administration in 1998 when he became associate athletic director at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. At UTC, Koegel managed a $5.2 million budget for 16 NCAA sports. His other responsibilities included compliance, athletic scholarships, marketing and serving as the liaison to the coaching staff. He also served on the steering committee for the NCAA I-AA National Championship Football Game.

Coastal President Ronald R. Ingle chose Koegel as the Chanticleers’ new director of athletics from more than 130 candidates. The candidates were evaluated by a screening committee and Ingle also sought input from university constituencies including athletic administrators, faculty and CINO Club members.

“I needed someone who could provide strong leadership for our athletic program, for our coaches and student-athletes,” said Ingle. “I also was looking for someone who could be active in our community. I wanted someone who could communicate well and work along with me in taking the message out to the broader community about Coastal and Coastal athletics. Every candidate had something different to offer. But I felt Warren brought a management style that would work well here. He is a good communicator. Warren brought the total package together.”

That package included a wealth of football experience, something that will be extremely important as Coastal prepares to add an NCAA I-AA football program by fall 2003.

“I wanted someone who had experience at a football-playing institution,” said Ingle. “In athletics, as in many other walks of life, your network is very important. With the development of our football program, I needed someone who had that network, who could call upon friends for advice and assistance. Warren has that.

“Probably more than any other candidate, it came across that Moose really wanted to be here. This is not a stepping stone to something else. He has a sincere commitment to this institution and that was a critical factor. He has the passion to provide leadership and become a vital part of this campus community.”

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