Ball State football has its man.
Athletic director Tom Collins introduced new head coach Pete Lembo on Monday, ending a 26-day coaching search.
"We've selected a gentleman who has been successful at both Lehigh and Elon," Collins said. "Both on-field success, but also with preparing young men for life."
Collins said the process involved having more than 80 résumés submitted, several telephone interviews several people and two face-to-face interviews.
When Lembo took the podium, he described how passionate he is about coaching football. He said he is excited for the challenges he plans to face at Ball State.
Lembo said his focus is on the football team.
"One thing I would like to make very, very clear from the start, this is not about me," Lembo said. "This is about the Ball State football program and the student-athletes, the coaches, the support staff and all the different constituents."
He said he wants to build a program the Ball State and Muncie communities will take pride in.
Lembo said he believes in a strong commitment to recruiting local players.
"If you look at our roster at Lehigh, the vast majority of players were from Pennsylvania," Lembo said. "If you look at our roster from Elon, you will see the vast majority of players are from the state of North Carolina. I certainly hope we can take the same philosophy, the same commitment and put that in place right here in the state of Indiana."
He said he plans to go into Ohio, Chicago and St. Louis areas to recruit players. Lembo said he also has ties to Florida and Georgia.
With dwindling student support over the past two seasons, Lembo said he has a plan to re-energize the fans.
"It's really important that the team is visible on campus in a positive way," Lembo said. "They need to reach out and connect with other students in class or activities that happen on campus. If the students feel they are connected with the players, they will come. Obviously, if you're competitive and winning games that helps, too."
Lembo said he had the same challenge at Elon and was able to raise attendance there by one-third in just a few seasons.
He also plans to bring in a new offense that he described as "fun to watch."
"I think we're known for throwing the football," Lembo said, "but it's not just a dropback passing game. It's a very sophisticated screen game. It's a fun offense to watch."
This past season, the Cardinals averaged 153 passing yards per game. Lembo's Phoenix averaged 322 passing yards per game.
Before Ball State, Lembo was the head coach at Elon for five seasons where he had a 35-22 record. His overall record as a head coach in 10 seasons at the Football Championship Subdivision level is 79-36.
The terms of Lembo's contract are for four years, with the option for a fifth year, at $350,000 per year.
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