Rich Lackner is the most successful head coach in Carnegie Mellon football history, but his legacy goes far beyond wins and championships. His story focuses more on the character of the student-athletes he recruited, the players he helped to develop, the men they’ve become and the football family he created.
Over his 36 years at the helm, Lackner, who was an inaugural inductee into CMU’s Hall of Fame, has built and nurtured a program characterized by its close-knit family culture, a strong, active network of hundreds of football alumni and a moral compass of the highest integrity. Not to mention his 233 wins, 12 conference championships and seven Coach-of-the-Year awards, of course.
“I call our football program the Tartan Football Family,” said Lackner, who at 29 years old in 1986 became the youngest head football coach in the NCAA. He succeeded Chuck Klausing after seven years as an assistant and four seasons as a standout CMU linebacker.
“Whether you graduated in 1979 [he did] or 2019, our players have a strong bond with CMU football,” said Lackner, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history. “Seeing these young men graduate, become leaders in their professional fields, and wonderful fathers and husbands involved in their communities is so much more gratifying than any one win or any one season.”
Lackner works hard to stay in touch with his football family of former players, many of whom have benefited professionally from their CMU ties and now help current players secure internships or full-time job opportunities after graduating.