Jim Monos finished his 21st year as head coach of the Lebanon Valley College football team in 2013, and it turned out to be one of the most historic seasons in program history. The 2013 AFCA Regional and Middle Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year, Monos led the Dutchmen to a MAC title and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Monos began his second stint at LVC in 2004 after serving as the Flying Dutchmen head coach from 1986-96. Through the 2013 season, Monos has directed the Dutchmen to a 101-110-2 record, and is the all-time leader in wins at LVC. His 213 games coached is also a school record, and he is the only coach in program history to take the team to four postseason appearances (three ECAC and one NCAA).
The 2013 season brought plenty of individual accolades along with team success, as LVC earned a record 14 all-MAC honors including Defensive Player of the Year
Frank Gaffney. At 8-3, it was LVC's sixth consecutive winning season.
The Dutchmen capped off another winning season in 2012, earning eight all-MAC awards after a 6-4 season. It represented the fifth consecutive winning season, the first time that had happened since 1963.
The 2011 season saw the Dutchmen go to their third straight ECAC Bowl game, beating Saint Vincent at Arnold Field to cap off a terrific 8-3 campaign. LVC had a pair of all-Americans in running back
Ben Guiles '11 and defensive end
Cory Homer '11, and Guiles became LVC's first MAC Offensive Player of the Year since 1963.
A memorable end to the season was in the cards for 2010 as LVC won its final five games of the regular season to qualify for the postseason for the second straight year - going to consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history. After a 1-4 start, Monos guided the team to a 6-4 finish and the ECAC South Atlantic Bowl, where they fell to Johns Hopkins.
The 2009 season went down as one of the best in program history as Monos led the Dutchmen to their first postseason berth since 1951 and won that game - the ECAC Southwest Bowl - for their first postseason win since 1935. Along the way, the Dutchmen compiled a 9-2 record (the best in program history) and got off to an 8-1 start, also a record. After the season, 12 players were named all-MAC, three all-region, and left tackle
Sean Tetreault '10 was tabbed an all-American by d3football.com. The LVC success was characterized by a high-scoring offense that put up 30 or more points seven times, and a punishing defense that held opponents to 20 points per game, including a shut out of Widener.
The 2008 season was also a memorable one as Monos put LVC in striking distance of an MAC title up until the final day of the season. After the team started out 3-1 (the best start since 1979), the Dutchmen battled through the MAC schedule and finished just behind a three-way tie for first place. After the season, eight Dutchmen were named all-MAC, including LVC's first-ever defensive player of the year, Brian Cottone '09.
When Lebanon Valley defeated FDU-Florham 43-15 on Oct. 8, 2005, Monos became the all-time winningest football coach in Lebanon Valley history. That victory marked win No. 48 at LVC for Monos, as he surpassed the previous record set by Lou Sorrentino '54, who won 47 games from 1971-85.
In 2006, Monos guided Lebanon Valley to a 6-4 (5-4 MAC) record, the team's first winning season since 1992.
The former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Bloomsburg University, Monos enjoyed a highly-successful run with the Huskies from 1997-2003. He helped lead Bloomsburg to a 56-23 record and a 36-6 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division play. The Huskies also won five PSAC East championships during Monos’ tenure and reached the NCAA Division II playoffs twice, including an appearance in the national championship game in 2000. Also that season, Bloomsburg won the Lambert Cup, given to the top Division II team in the east.
Monos helped the Huskies establish a reputation as one of the most dangerous offensive teams in the PSAC. During Bloomsburg's 7-4 campaign in 2003, the Huskies scored over 30 points seven times and reached 40 points in four of those games. During the team’s run to the national championship game in 2000, Bloomsburg scored over 30 points 11 times in 15 games and twice scored over 50 points. In the team’s national semifinal game that year, Bloomsburg scored 29 straight points in the fourth quarter en route to a 58-48 win.
In 1997, Monos coached the Harlon Hill Award winner, given to the Division II national player of the year.
In his first stint at Lebanon Valley, Monos led the Dutchmen to a 6-3-1 record in 1991 and a 7-3 mark in 1992, the team’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1978-79. In 1989, he was named as the Middle Atlantic Conference Co-Coach of the Year after guiding LVC to a 6-4 record. Monos was also an assistant athletic director at LVC from 1992-96 and an admissions counselor from 1986-91.
Prior to taking over the head coaching spot at Lebanon Valley, Monos was the offensive coordinator at Shippensburg University for seven seasons, following three years as a part-time coach. He earned all-conference honors in both football and baseball at Shippensburg before graduating in 1972. A native of Shippensburg, Monos is a member of the Shippensburg University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Monos and his wife, Mary Ellen, are the parents of two sons: Jim and Todd, both graduates of Bloomsburg University; Jim is the director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills. Other members of Monos’ family include daughter-in-law Liz, granddaughter Grace Elizabeth, and grandson Carter Edward.
