Ohio Wesleyan University | Battling Bishop Athletics

Coach Mike Hollway

[ Mike Hollway ] Veteran head coach Mike Hollway will seek to take the next step in returning Battling Bishop football to national prominence by reclaiming the North Coast Athletic Conference championship and advancing to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Hollway, who has guided the Bishops to a 117-72-1 record over the past 19 seasons, is the winningest football coach in Ohio Wesleyan history.

Last year's squad finished with a 4-6 record. In 2005, the Bishops went 7-3, with 2 of those losses coming to teams which went 10-0 in the regular season and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs.

The 2004 Bishop squad bounced back from an 0-4 start to win 5 straight games and put itself in position to play the season finale with the NCAC championship and an NCAA Division III playoff bid on the line.

In 2001, the Bishops compiled a 9-1 record, ranked second in the nation in rushing offense and fourth in total offense and tied for second place in the NCAC. The 1999 Bishops finished with an 8-2 record and tied for second place in the NCAC. In 1994, the team was 7-3 and in the hunt for the NCAC title until the last 2 weeks of the season. The 1992 squad was the highest-scoring team in Ohio Wesleyan history and finished with an 8-2 record. In 1991, Ohio Wesleyan finished 8-2 and ranked third in the nation in rushing defense. The 1990 Bishops went 9-1, led the nation in rushing defense and were ranked among the top 20 in Division III for the second straight season. The Bishops were 8-1-1 in 1989 and shared the NCAC crown, Ohio Wesleyan's first league title since 1971. The 1988 squad was 6-4, the Bishops' first winning season since 1971. In 1987, Hollway guided a team dominated by underclassmen to a 5-5 record.

Hollway's commitment to the game has extended beyond the field as well. He is chair of the NCAC football coaches committee and has served as a member of the prestigious NCAA rules committee.

[ Mike Hollway ] Hollway came to Ohio Wesleyan from Marietta College, where in 4 years as head coach, he took a team in the midst of a 34-game losing streak into league championship contention.

Prior to coaching at Marietta, Hollway was defensive coordinator at perennial Division III power Augustana (Ill.) College for 7 seasons, helping the Vikings earn 3 playoff bids and reach the Division III title game once.

A native of Bangor, Maine, Hollway is a 1970 graduate of Edina (Minn.) High School, where he was a member of the state championship football squad and captain of the swimming team.

After making his coaching debut in 1973 as junior varsity line coach at Ann Arbor (Mich.) Huron High School, Hollway was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1974, earning a B.S. in physical education. He received his M.A. in education from Michigan in 1975 while serving as a graduate assistant under Bo Schembechler. In 2003, Hollway received a Ph.D. in higher education policy and leadership, with an emphasis on humanitarian student value development, from The Ohio State University.

Hollway also is a recipient of Ohio Wesleyan's Bishop Francis Emner Kearns Award, recognizing the faculty member that best exemplifies the ethical, moral and missional values of the University.

Hollway is a third-generation football coach. His father, Bob, was head coach of the National Football League's St. Louis Cardinals. The high school football field in Ann Arbor is named after his grandfather, Lou, longtime football coach and athletic director.

Hollway perceives his role as coach as a dual one. "As a coach, my first objective is to win: guide the team and give the players the opportunity to be successful. But we also have a responsibility to each individual that goes beyond the football field," says Hollway. "Our greatest measure of success is the outcome of 4 years at Ohio Wesleyan and the quality of life -- both personal and professional -- our players enjoy after they leave us."

E-mail Head Coach Mike Hollway

Back to the main Football page
Back to the main Coaching Staff page