Michael Clark begins his 16th season as head coach of the Bridgewater football program and his 31st year as a collegiate coach.
Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Clark is from a football family.
His father Joe Clark, whom he played high school football for at Cincinnati Indian Hill, is in the Ohio High School Hall of Fame in the state where he picked up 237 high school victories.
Clark and the Eagles have won a higher percentage of football games than any other college team in the state of Virginia in the 21st century at an 90-25 tally.
Under Clark's direction, BC has participated in 16 postseason games and has won two NCAA South Region Championships and five Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles. BC's postseason experience peaked in 2001 when it finished its best season in school history with a 12-1 record, losing in the "Stagg Bowl," the Division III national championship game, to perennial power Mount Union, 30-27.
Clark started his coaching career as the defensive line and linebackers coach at Murray State University in 1980 and helped Frank Beamer's Racers to 44 wins in five seasons and a stay in the Division I-AA (FCS) national poll for 25 straight weeks. After a stint as wide receivers coach at his alma mater, Cincinnati, from 1986-87, Clark rejoined Beamer at Virginia Tech in 1988 serving as the Hokies' defensive coordinator for five seasons. In 1993, Clark moved to Virginia Military Institute serving as as the Keydets' defensive coordinator in 1993 and quarterbacks coach in 1994 before being named the 14th Bridgewater head coach on January 16, 1995.
Clark earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati in English Literature and was a four-year letter winner in football as a defensive back. He helped the Bearcats to a 9-2 record and a top 20 national ranking during the 1976 season. At graduation, he was given the school's "Mr. Bearcat Award" as the outstanding graduating male senior at the University of Cincinnati in 1980.
Currently, Clark acts as the AFCA conference-coaching representative. He is a voting member of the AFCA-USA Today coaches poll, and recently completed a term as Chairman on the NCAA College Football Rules Committee.
Clark lives in Bridgewater with his wife Sharon. The couple has two daughters, Megan and Erin. Megan is a 2004 graduate of Bridgewater who received her Masters Degree in Public Health from George Washington University and works for the Food and Drug Administration. Megan resides in Alexandria, Va. with her husband J.D. Velez. Erin is a Mathematics graduate from Christopher Newport University who works for the US Army.
Ray Decker joins the BC staff in a full-time capacity in 2010.
In 2009, Decker served as an intern on the Bridgewater staff, taking care of multiple game week duties for the Eagles. During the Spring sports season, Decker assisted the Eagles Track and Field team.
Prior to his time at BC, Decker worked for seven-plus years with the Prince William County Park Authority.
Ray graduated in May 2010 from James Madison University with a Masters degree in Sports Management.
Stephon Healey will begin his eighth year with the Bridgewater Eagles and takes over the reins of the linebacking corps in 2010. In the winter of 2007, he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach, a role formally held by Bob Colbert and is Coach Clark's second in command in the day-to-day operation of the football program.
Healey came to the States from the University of Aberystwyth (Wales), where he was a head coach. Prior to Aberystwyth, he coached the defensive line for a year at Averett University.
A native of London, England Healey played collegiate football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. A graduate from the University of Greenwich (London), Healey has his undergraduate degree in Education and Human Movement Studies.
Healey is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Certified USA Weightlifting club coach. He is also an assistant track coach (jumps) and a strength and conditioning coordinator.
Robert Hunt joins the Bridgewater staff after coaching a number of years in the pros and in the collegiate ranks.
Hunt was named a coaching intern, Tight Ends and Special Teams,
with the Amsterdam Admirals (2005) for his first pro job and won
the World Bowl as a member of Bart Andrus’ staff. As the
Argos’ new Tight Ends & Offensive Quality Control coach,
Hunt is the first person in team history to hold either title. He
most recently worked at Howard University (2007-2008) as the
Offensive Line & Run Game Coordinator.
Hunt coached for three seasons in NFL Europe, all with Amsterdam,
starting in 2005 as a coaching intern. He retuned in 2006 in the
same role and the Admirals participated in another World Bowl
final. Later that year, he was hired as an assistant scout for the
NFL/NFL Japan International Player Development program before he
was named Amsterdam’s Tight Ends Coach for the 2007 season.
In between NFLE seasons, Hunt was also the defensive line coach for
Ferrum College in Virginia from 2005-2006.
Hunt played five years as a guard/tackle at Virginia where he was
named the ACC’s top offensive tackle as a senior and played
in the Peach Bowl while blocking for Aaron Brooks. He was drafted
by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 7th round of the 1999 NFL Draft.
From there, he spent time with the New Orleans Saints (1999-2000),
Frankfurt Galaxy of NFLE (2000), Kansas City Chiefs (2001), Buffalo
Bills (2002) San Francisco Demons & New York/New Jersey Hitmen
of XFL (2001), and the New York Dragons of AFL (2003).
As much of a student as he is an instructor, Hunt not only earned a
Bachelor of Arts degree from Virginia but is currently pursuing a
Masters of Arts from Ashford University. He has worked as a
substitute teacher and high school football & track coach in
his hometown of Newport News, Virginia while also serving two years
as a Residence Hall Educator at Ferrum College. Hunt dedicates his
spare time to groups including Student Athletes Mentors and the
Fellowship Organization, while also working as a motivational
speaker and an active member of the University of Virginia alumni
association.
Robert Hunt's
Coaching History:
2007 Tight Ends Coach, Amsterdam Admirals
(NFLE)
2006 Coaching Assistant, Tight Ends & Special
Teams Assistant, Amsterdam Admirals (NFLE)
Defensive Line Coach, Ferrum College (NCAA)
2005 Coaching Intern, Tight Ends & Special
Teams, Amsterdam Admirals (NFLE)
Defensive Line Coach, Ferrum College (NCAA)
Jack Johnson begins his fifth year on the Bridgewater College football staff. He was previously on the staff at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Johnson will coach the safety position for the Eagles and serves as the team's Defensive Coordinator.
After his playing career at Mary Hardin-Baylor, Johnson joined the UMHB staff first as a student assistant and then as a graduate assistant.
During his four years on staff the team posted a 41-6 record, won three conference titles and was runner-up at the 2004 Stagg Bowl. Johnson coached the defensive ends at UMHB.
He graduated from Mary-Hardin-Baylor with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Sports Science with a minor in Psychology. In December 2005, he received his Master of Education degree from Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Scott Lemn joins the BC staff after a stint coaching with ODAC rival Randolph-Macon.
Prior to his job with the Yellow Jackets, Lemn was a first team All-American at James Madison in 2008 (AP, The Sports Network, Walter Camp Foundation, College Sporting News) and was the Rimington Award winner as the nation's top center while aiding the Dukes to a FCS Semifinal appearance and a No.1 ranking for much of the '08 season.
The two-time, first-team All-CAA selection graduated in December
2008 with a degree in kinesiology and a concentration in sports
management.
Peter Raeford begins his eighth year at Bridgewater College. Prior to joining the BC staff, Raeford was an assistant coach at Greensboro College for five seasons. He coached the defensive backs for his first two seasons at Greensboro and for three seasons, he coached the outside linebackers.
Raeford played professional football in three different leagues. He was a defensive back for the USFL's San Antonio Gunslingers in 1984-85 before joining the NFL's Chicago Bears in 1987. In 1988, he played with the New York Knights in the Arena Football League.
Raeford also had brief coaching stints on the pro level. In 1991, he worked as strength coach and assistant defensive backs coach for the San Antonio Riders in the World Football League. The following year, he served as defensive backs coach and strength coach for the San Antonio Force in the Arena Football League. Raeford also worked as a strength coach for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1992-93. Peter's daughter Chloe was a 2008 graduate of Baylor University in Texas.
Pete lives in Harrisonburg with his wife Tatyana, whom he married in May 2010, and their daughters Angela and Diana.
Troy Shaffer enters his third season on the Eagles staff as the wide recievers coach.
Shaffer came to the BC program after spending 2007 working in the private sector. In 2006, he was the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for the post-graduate program at Hargrave Military Academy. In 2005, Shaffer was the defensive backs coach and special teams assistant at Maryville College. Prior to his time at Maryville, Shaffer was a graduate assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne College where he moved from coaching wide receivers to coaching the secondary. Shaffer began his coaching career at Methodist College as the Monarchs secondary coach.
Shaffer is a 1997 graduate of Bridgewater College where he played three years of football and one year of baseball. He graduated with a degree in history and political science.
Shaffer, a native of Clifton Forge, Va., attended Alleghany High School in Covington, Va. where he played football and baseball and was named to the Blue Ridge All-District team in both sports. Following his graduation from Bridgewater, Shaffer got his start in coaching at Alleghany H.S.
Joe Soltis took over the reins of Bridgewater's high-scoring offense as the team's offensive coordinator in 2006. He took over for long-time offensive coordinator, Bob Colbert, who left the Eagles to take the head coaching job at Saint Vincent College.
Soltis rejoined the Bridgewater coaching staff in 1998 as the wide receivers coach after previously serving as running backs coach during Michael Clark's inaugural season in 1995. In between, he worked as a student assistant coach at James Madison University and earned his undergraduate degree in social science in 1998.
Soltis also played a year at running back for Emory & Henry and spent four years as an assistant coach at Glenvar High School in Salem, Va. from 1990-94.
Soltis is also the head strength and conditioning coach at Bridgewater. He resides in Bridgewater and is married to the former April Fifer, a 2004 Bridgewater graduate and a teacher in the Rockingham County Public Schools.
