Head Football Coach Rich Lackner Receives Alumni Achievement Award

Oct. 26 – (PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Carnegie Mellon University Head Football Coach Rich Lackner, HS'79, will be honored as a recipient of the Carnegie Mellon University Alumni Achievement Award.  The award will be presented to Lackner during homecoming weekend by the Alumni Association at the Alumni Awards Ceremony at 6:00 p.m., Friday, October 26.

The Alumni Achievement Award (formerly the Alumni Merit Award) honors accomplishment in the nominee’s profession and is intended to recognize both accomplishment and leadership in their field which brings honor to Carnegie Mellon University. The contributions do not need to be publicly renowned, but should represent important creative effort or accomplishment with societal or educational value.

Lackner is one of four recipients to be honored.  He is most remarkably known for building strong relationships with his players.   During the past two decades, Carnegie Mellon University has fielded one of the most successful football programs in NCAA Division III. It is no coincidence that Rich Lackner's association with the Tartans' program has spanned that same period.

He was named head coach in 1986 and has directed the Tartans to a 152-64-2 record, nine conference championships and two NCAA playoff berths over the past 22 years.  On September 1 of this season, Lackner became the 27th head coach in Division III with 150 career wins with a 33-10 victory at the University of Rochester.

Lackner's ties to Carnegie Mellon football date back much further than his head coaching tenure, he was an assistant coach from 1979-85 and was a standout linebacker for the Tartans from 1975-78. From the time he first stepped onto Carnegie Mellon's campus as a freshman, Lackner has never experienced a losing football season. In total, he has been a part of 32 consecutive non-losing seasons, 14 conference championships, six NCAA playoff appearances and a 231-78-4 record from 1975-2006.

As a student, football player and coach, Carnegie Mellon has always been the right place for Lackner.